Princess Mononoke
by 95darkmagician
Summary: 3 months after the death of the Forest Spirit, San sees a mysterious girl in the forest, who she thinks appears to have some resemblance to Ashitaka. However she and Ashitaka have more important problems when Iron Town is invaded and an evil man sets a demon loose in the forest. Rated for violence and a few brief uses of strong language. There's also some humor and romance. R&R.
1. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Traveller

I do not own Princess Mononoke or any of the animes referenced in this story.

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 1: The Mysterious Traveller

The bright flash of lightning illuminated the forest for a brief moment, before it was plunged back into darkness. Seconds later the deafening sound of thunder echoed around the trees.

It had been three months since the death of the Forest Spirit, and things had been peaceful, at least until that night. The fighting between the people of Iron Town and the forest creatures was over and Ashitaka was doing his best to create an alliance between them. With the reconstruction of Iron Town almost complete and the humans now helping restore and maintain the forest, things were going well.

However, as a sign of the approaching winter, a storm had come and the rain now poured down on Iron Town and the forest. The people of Iron Town were safe, although the repairs weren't quite complete, everyone had a shelter that could keep the rain out and take the harsh winds. San and her wolf brothers were protected by their den. The other forest Gods had some form of protection that kept them dry and safe. Due to the storm, the forest appeared to be empty.

In spite of this, though, one person braved to venture through the trees this stormy night. A young girl, no older than fifteen, made her way swiftly through the forest. She ran bare foot; the shoes she had worn had continuously sunken deep into the mud, so she had been forced to remove them. Her hat offered her face some defence against the rain, but did nothing to stop her clothes from being drenched. On the traveller's shoulder stood a small glowing creature, which desperately clung to the girl's neck to stop itself from flying away in the wind. It was a tree spirit, commonly known as a Kodama.

The mysterious girl ignored the cold rain that soaked her clothes, and the sharp wind that tore at her hair. The girl had one thing that kept her going, one thing that forced her on, one thought on her mind: 'I must find Ashitaka!'

* * *

"Ashitaka!" called Kohroku. "Could you give me a hand? The rope's starting to break."

It was early the following morning. The storm had vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, much to everyone's relief. Most of the villagers were already up, eager to continue the repairs to Iron town. If they could keep to their schedule, work would be finished by the end of the day.

Ashitaka laughed as he ran to help Kohroku, who was desperately trying, and failing, to hold the pillar he had been fixing steady.

"The rope isn't breaking," chuckled Ashitaka. "You just didn't tie it well enough." Ashitaka shook his head as he tightened the knot. "There, you can let go now, it's safe, no problem." He smiled.

Kohroku, however, frowned, "Well that's easy for you to say."

"Actually," said a voice that made Kohroku jump. "I think you'll find that it's easy for most people to say, you idiot." Kohroku spun round to find his wife, Toki, glaring at him. "You can't even tie a knot right. Sometimes I wonder why I ever married you."

"Well it sure beats the hell out of us", laughed another one of the women, which caused everyone in ear shot to laugh, even Kohroku chuckled.

"Anyway," Ashitaka began, when they'd all stop laughing. "I think I've earned myself some time off to visit San." He began to walk towards the stable were Yakul, his elk, was kept, but looked back over his shoulder, "If that's alright with you."

"Sure, go ahead, the work's almost done anyway," Called Toki. "And give my best wishes to the wolf girl."

Ashitaka rolled his eyes. "I will, but her name is San."

A few minutes later Ashitaka rode out of Iron Town. He smiled the same cheerful smile he always had when he visited his love.

Meanwhile, not too far away, San stood in the forest patiently waiting for Ashitaka's arrival. He promised he would visit her that day, the last time she had seen him, and San knew Ashitaka always kept his word. He had also mentioned that, if everything went as planned, Iron Town should be fixed by then, so she hoped he might be able to stay longer or at least come more often.

At that moment though, her train of thought was interrupted. "San" said a deep voice behind her. She looked around to see the younger of her wolf brothers, Oko, standing a short distance away. "There is another trespasser in the forest." He informed her.

San signed, "Let me guess, another villager gathering herbs and berries?" After being with Ashitaka for a while, San had become more trustworthy of humans, and was beginning to grow weary of her brothers becoming suspicious every time someone entered the forest, even though the fighting was over. But to her surprise, Oko shook his head.

"No, this human isn't from Iron Town. She could be a spy sent by another town."

"Or she could just be passing through," pointed out San. "But I'll investigate anyway." She walked over to Oko, and climbed onto his back. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were away, darting through the trees at top speed. Needless to say Oko arrived at his destination very quickly. Oro, the elder of the two brothers was waiting for them.

San dismounted. "Alright, where is this 'trespasser'." She asked.

Oro jerked his head to the left. "Down that slope" he stated. San walked forward and peered through some small bushes, so she could remain out of sight. Sure enough, there was a young girl walking slowly along the path. However, San could not see why the girl was likely to harm the forest or put them under any threat. She only looked about fifteen.

"What should we do," asked Oko and bared his teeth, "Can we eat her."

San signed again, "No brother, you can't eat her."

"But we only truce with the humans from Iron town," Growled Oro. "And she isn't from that town."

"All the more reason not to harm her," San hissed. "Do you want to start anther war with _her_ town?"

Oro and Oko lowered their heads, knowing San was right. "No." they said.

"Let's just see what she's doing here and leave her be," Smiled San, and quietly ran down the slope. She had moved almost silently, but the traveller stilled turned to face San, but said nothing. Moments later Oro and Oko joined San, baring their teeth at the mysterious youth. To San's surprise the girl did not flee at the sight of the wolves, she did not even draw her sword. 'She's either very brave or very stupid,' San thought.

The two girls just looked at each other unflinching for about a minute, not saying anything. San noticed a Kodama standing on the traveller's shoulder. That told her the person she was facing was most likely harmless, or the spirit would have been unlikely to help her. San also noticed that the girl's clothes were damp, and for the first time fully registered that she was wearing a cape. 'What's up with that cape, and why was she out in that storm,' San wondered, 'Unless she simply fell into a river.'

"What business do you have in this forest?" San called, breaking the silence. The traveller bowed to San, and to her and her brother's surprise, she bowed again to Oro and then Oko. This action stunned the two wolves and they immediately relaxed their postures. Neither of them could remember the last time a human other than San or Ashitaka had bowed to them.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you or if I am trespassing," the girl spoke calmly, despite being faced with two wolves. "I simply wish to travel through, so I can continue my search for someone."

The more San looked the more she got the feeling that the traveller seemed familiar. "May I ask what your name is?"

The traveller shook her head. "I wish to keep my identity secret until I find who I'm looking for." She then bowed again, "If you don't mind."

San shrugged her shoulders. "It really makes no difference to me." She paused. "What is your destination?"

"A place known as Iron Town," The girl replied, "Am I on the right path."

"Yes, keep going in the same direction and you will see it shortly."

"Really?" The girl looked the way she had been heading, then bowed one more time. "Thank you." She then turned and ran in the direction towards Iron Town. The discovery that she was so close seemed to give her new strength.

San watched as the girl disappeared into the distance. "I told you she was just a harmless traveller."

"I guess you were right," growled Oko, "but did you get the idea you had seen her before."

San nodded her head, "Yes, I know we've never met her before, but I thought she looked like…" But San couldn't quite think of whom.

In spite of her curiosity, at that moment her thoughts were cut short by someone calling her name. "San!" Her face lit up upon hearing Ashitaka's voice. A few seconds later he became visible through the trees, riding Yakul. San ran over to him as he dismounted his elk. The two young lovers embraced, San gave Ashitaka an affectionate lick on his cheek. Ashitaka responded by kissing her lips.

"How did you find me?" San laughed.

"Thank Yakul; we were on our way to your den when he suddenly came this way. He must have picked up your scent."

The two smiled at each other for a moment, until suddenly, to Ashitaka's confusion, San looked away. Although he did not know this, she was looking in the direction the traveller had gone. "Is something wrong?"

San broke the embrace, "Ashitaka, do you know if someone might be looking for you." She asked.

The confusion was now evident on Ashitaka's face. "What?"

"My brothers and I encountered a girl just before you came, and she said she was looking for someone. She didn't say who they were or who they were searching for, but…" San hesitated, "She looked a lot like you. In fact she looked almost like a female version of you."

Now Ashitaka looked concerned, 'could it be… no, it can't, it's impossible.' He thought. "It was probably a coincidence. Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about travellers; I came here to be with you." He smiled.

San smiled as well, "Oh, then come get me." And she sprinted off into the forest.

"If you insist," Ashitaka yelled, and gave chase. The two played joyfully in the forest, unaware of the looming threat to Iron Town and the creatures of the forest.

* * *

On the other side of the forest an army of samurai were slowly making their way towards Iron Town. The leader, Lord Asano, rode on a horse in front of his men, with his two bodyguards walking beside him. He was about fifty, with black hair and a short beard. He wore a smile on his face. He had every reason to be happy, as he knew today was the day he took over Iron Town, and all the profit would be his, and with Cargo protecting him, nothing would get in his way.

Cargo was one of Lord Asano's bodyguards, and his strongest samurai. He wore an outfit identical to the other Samurai, except he also wore a red cape. His hair came down to just above his shoulders, which he dyed green, apparently just to make himself stand out. Unlike Asano he had an emotionless expression.

Asano's other bodyguard was named Cress, and wore a different outfit to the others; his was entirely blue, including the cape and had no armour. His hair was also blue; a similar length to Cargo's, but Cress had grown some of it so it covered his right eye. To complete the set of facial expressions, he had a solemn look. He did not care for the profit and power this invasion would bring; he was there for one reason. 'Just you wait Princess Mononoke and that dratted Eboshi.' He thought. 'You will both pay for what you did to me. I promise you, I will have my revenge!'

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Cargo Reveals His Strength

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 2: Cargo Reveals His Strength

Lord Asano's army continued to slowly march through the forest, drawing closer and closer to Iron Town. Unbeknown to Asano, their presence in the forest had not gone unnoticed. Behind a large bush, were two large forest gods preparing to attack. One was an eagle, the other a bear, both animals twice their normal size. The two watched the humans very carefully, but nonetheless, they had yet to realise that _their _presence had been noticed.

"If we take down the human riding the horse, it could eliminate the true threat." The bear growled quietly. "Humans will often find themselves lost without their leaders."

"Yes," The eagle squawked in agreement. "But I fear that the green haired human may be the one we must take care defeating. I doubt he walks next to his master for no reason."

The bear studied the three men leading the army. It seemed that the eagle was correct, if you judged by appearance alone. The one riding the horse was much older than the other two, and didn't even carry a weapon. The human dressed in blue was the youngest, and so possibly inexperienced. However, he was about eighteen and, based on his expression and the sword he carried on his belt, he was no rookie. The green haired one was the one the bear focused on; he could sense the evil coming from him. He was about twenty-five, and the bear could see that he lacked emotion, but he showed confidence, or was that over-confidence?

But regardless, they had to act now or who knows what damage the samurai could cause. "I shall attack first, and distract the human with green hair, and then you can fly in and take the leader." The bear instructed. The eagle nodded to show he understood.

The two gods waited until Asano was almost next to them, and then the bear jumped out of its hiding place and lunged for him. In spite of how close they were to their target, before it had even fully emerged from the bush, Cargo had drawn his sword and thrown it into the unsuspecting creature. 'Impossible' thought the eagle, 'no-one's that fast.' But to its horror, Cargo wasn't done yet. At an amazingly fast speed, he sprinted forward and pulled his weapon from the, now still, creature and ran into the bush. The eagle spread out its wings in an attempt to escape, but before it could even flap them once, Cargo sliced through one of them with his sword. The forest god cried out in pain, only to be silenced a moment later by the cold steel of Cargo's blade.

Cargo examined his two victims briefly, before he sheathed his sword and walking back over to Asano's side. Cress didn't take his eyes off him for a second. Although his expression remained the same, he was in awe. The way Cargo walked, it was as if nothing had happened. 'How can he do that,' thought the blue haired teen. 'Murder two creatures, no, two gods, so easily and then act normally.' Cress could only say one thing: he was certainly glad Cargo was on his side.

"That was far too easy," scoffed Cargo. "I do hope I find someone capable of actually amusing me in this forest."

"Do not worry Cargo," smiled Lord Asano. "I'm sure the forest gods will muster up a very powerful army of their own, as soon as they are aware of our plans. Then you can kill as many of them as you wish."

This comment just made Cargo snigger, "Oh please, numbers mean nothing. I could take on one hundred of them." This made the samurai uneasy. Unsurprisingly, they did not like working with someone who could, and likely would, kill them will one swish of their blade.

"Anyway, I will go on ahead and infiltrate Iron Town. I will be ready by the time you get there," Announced Cargo.

"Very well," Cress began. "Just remember the deal. You can harm whoever you want, except Lady Eboshi. She is mine." When he finished speaking, Cress placed a hand gently on the hair that covered his right eye. 'I will make her suffer for what she did to me and my family.'

Cargo smiled, then ran off into the trees. "Don't worry, I remember." He called over his shoulder, before disappearing from sight altogether. Upon seeing he was gone, the samurai began to relax. Again unsurprisingly, they were all thankful they wouldn't have to be anywhere near Cargo for a while.

Lord Asano watched Cargo leave, and then gestured with his hand and they began walking towards Iron Town once again. A few soldiers glanced anxiously at the forest gods Cargo had defeated. It terrified them knowing how easily he'd beaten such mighty creatures.

After passing the animals, the samurai all kept their eyes on Iron Town. If just one had looked back, this story may have gone quite differently. But their destination was ahead, so why would they look back?

* * *

"I told you, I need to speak with Ashitaka!"

"And I told you, he's not here!"

The girl scowled. Why did people have to make the simple things so difficult? "I know, but I was informed that he travelled through Iron Town. So could you please tell me where he went?" The traveller called. The woman she was talking to was standing on the ledge above the gate that led into Iron Town.

"I will tell you, after you tell me how you know him." The woman yelled back.

"I told you before; I can't say who I am until I'm sure you are a friend of Ashitaka."

"Well I have a similar reason for not telling you where he is."

The traveller clenched her fists. "He has brown hair, he's a master with a bow and arrow, he rides an elk he calls Yakul, he will help all living creatures. Isn't that enough proof that I know him."

"I don't doubt you know him, but I need to be sure he is your friend."

The traveller gritted her teeth, "Oh, get lost." She yelled, and ran back to the forest. "I don't believe it," She muttered to herself. "I've been searching for him for two months and apart from the occasional 'I may have seen someone like that go that way' there has been no trace of Ashitaka." Then just as she reached the forest, she skidded to a halt. "Wait, yes there has! That girl in the forest, she was wearing his crystal dagger." A smile formed across her face. "That means she must have met him."

The girl was about to head back to where she encountered the wolves, when she stumbled and had to steady herself against a tree. The effects of running all night in a storm and lack of sleep finally started to catch up on her. 'I'll just rest here for a while.' The girl thought, as she slumped against a tree, and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

One hour later, the residents of Iron Town laughed and sipped wine to celebrate the completion of the repairs. Even Lady Eboshi and her bodyguard, Gonza, had joined the celebrations. It was unfortunate that the happy moment had to be cut so short. Just ten minutes after the merriment started, a messenger from the lookout post came running up, an expression of panic on his face. "Lady Eboshi," he cried. "We have just spotted Lord Asano's samurai heading this way, and we think that Lord Asano, himself, is with them."

In an instant, Lady Eboshi's face became serious, but not a trace of panic or fear could be seen. She turned to Gonza, "prepare all the warriors for battle," Eboshi ordered.

"Yes milady," Gonza replied, and immediately began to give orders to round up everyone and to have the rifles given out.

Eboshi proceeded to walk towards Iron Town's gate, closely followed by the messenger. "Asano's mistake was to come with them." Eboshi smiled. "We just need to take him out and the rest of the samurai will most probably flee like the cowards they are."

"Yes milady, but, you see, there's more," said the messenger, the unease clear in is voice.

"Yes?" said Eboshi, without looking back.

"We think Cress may be with them."

"What!" Eboshi exclaimed, stopping instantly and looking around. "Are you sure?"

The man shook his head, "No, but who else has a blue outfit and blue hair."

Eboshi closed her eyes, deep in thought. 'It doesn't matter; he's just another enemy now.' She opened her eyes and continued walking towards the gate.

* * *

By the time Lord Asano, Cress, and the samurai had reached Iron Town, Gonza had assembled the warriors and they were ready for battle, waiting just behind the gate. All of them unaware, that they would never get the chance to fight.

"Eboshi, I wish to speak with you," called Asano. Eboshi soon made herself visible at the top of the wall. "I would suggest you give up now, and you will see why very soon."

Eboshi stood with a rifleman standing a few feet away from her, but a few steps back so he was out of Asano's sight. Gonza and a few women stood near her as well. "Well _I_ suggest you leave now, and don't return," Eboshi replied, "I have a rifleman aiming for you and he will fire as soon as I give him the order."

But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt the cold chill of a sword against her neck. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Cargo hissed into her ear. The others were in shock at how fast he had moved and that he could sneak up on them without anyone noticing.

The rifleman reacted quickly; he swung his weapon around so it was aiming at the intruder. Despite his speed, it wasn't enough. Cargo was upon him in a flash, knocking the rifle away and swinging his blade through the man. Eboshi drew her sword. She had trained herself to use her left hand, but in this case it didn't matter. She had barely finished drawing her sword when Cargo grabbed her wrist and darted behind her. He used her as a human shield and gripped her arm so tightly that Eboshi was forced to drop her blade, and had to grit her teeth to stop herself crying out.

"Put down your weapons or Eboshi gets it," Snarled Cargo.

"No, don't do it," said Eboshi through her clenched teeth. But to her dismay they obeyed Cargo anyway.

"We will not endanger your life, milady," Gonza stated.

Eboshi closed her eyes in defeat, "You're Cargo, correct?"

Cargo smiled, "It seems my reputation precedes me. Now surrender or I will start killing your men and women one by one."

"Alright, we surrender," said Eboshi, knowing there was nothing she could do.

After that, Cargo ordered the gate to be raised to allow the samurai to enter. They then forced the people of Iron Town to leave. Asano allowed them to take swords, bows and arrows, but none of the rifles. He also allowed them to take tents and food supplies, as he had no need for them. And with his enemies heading to the forest and the invasion complete without a single casualty, things seemed to be going perfectly for Asano. At least until a frightened samurai came running up to him.

"My lord, we spotted a demon on the other side of the lake."

"What, are you certain it was a demon?" Asano questioned.

"Yes, unless there's some other type of creature that's covered with black worms and sucks the life from every plant it touches."

"Where is it now?" Cress asked.

"It ran off into the forest. It was going in the opposite direction to Eboshi and her people," answered the samurai.

"But demons are gods that are badly wounded and are consumed by rage," Asano pointed out. "So how could that happen if the war was over."

"When I thought I had killed that bear earlier," Cargo smirked. "I guess I wasn't careful enough. Oops." He sniggered.

Asano glared at him. "Well, I hope you can kill that thing if it returns."

"Of course I can," laughed Cargo. "No single creature is a match for me. Not even a Demon!"

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Identity Revealed

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 3: Identity Revealed

Cress gritted his teeth as he glared at Cargo, who was still laughing. 'He is absolutely mad,' Cress thought. 'Why did I make this bargain with him?'

One month ago, Cress had gone to Asano for help. He had asked Asano to assist him in the killing of Eboshi and Princess Mononoke so he could have his revenge. Asano's reply had been that he would, if Cress gave him the means to take over Iron Town. So Cress had tracked down Cargo. The deal that had been struck benefitted all three of them. Asano would give Cargo protection, as he, believe it or not, needed it. Cargo's might, in some ways, worked against him. Everyone, including the emperor of the land, wanted Cargo dead, out of fear that he may come after them. Even Cargo would be unable to stop an entire army, so he needed someone to hide behind for the time being. And in exchange, Cargo would help take over Iron Town and kill Lady Eboshi and Princess Mononoke. Cress hadn't wanted to get Asano involved, but had known Cargo would simply kill him, unless he offered him something worthwhile in return.

Cress closed his one visible eye, 'I made the bargain because I have nothing left except for my revenge.' He thought, opening his eye, 'so I must have it.'

"Alright," he began. "Asano, I think I've held up my end of the deal, so now Cargo must help me find and kill that wolf girl."

Asano glared at him, "Do you have to do that now. That demon could return at any moment."

"We had a deal Asano," yelled Cress. "I want my revenge and I want it now!" When he said this, he, once again, placed a hand over the hair that covered his eye.

Asano was clearly about to continue arguing, when Cargo interrupted. "That demon was moving away from us. With their reckless nature it will be awhile before it returns. Assuming it returns at all." Cargo correctly pointed out. After a god became a demon they would go on a rampage, it would just attack everything in its path, and had very little sense of where it was going. So it would be quite some time before it made its way back to Iron Town. "And anyway," he continued, "It should only take me two hours at the very most to get back. You have nothing to fear my Lord."

Asano considered, "Very well, but be back here as quick as you can."

Cress and Cargo nodded, and made their way towards the gate.

* * *

The traveller, who had being sleeping peacefully, found herself being awoken by the sound of squelching mud. Although she did not draw her sword, she did grip its handle, and without a sound, went to investigate. She soon found herself following two young men, one with green hair, and the other with blue hair. You've guessed it, they were Cargo and Cress. The girl was amazed to see that it was the blue haired man that had made the noise that had woken her. The other man moved silently, despite the mud and the armour that weighed him down.

She wasn't the only one amazed by this. Cress too was shocked at how quietly Cargo moved. What was more, Cargo could effortlessly keep up with him, even though he was wearing armour and Cress was going as fast as he could. 'He really is something else.' Cress thought as he ran through the forest.

* * *

A very short distance away, Ashitaka was chasing San again. "What's wrong, slowpoke." San laughed, as she looked back to see Ashitaka struggling to keep up. He began to laugh with her, but a moment later, San skidded to a halt. She stopped so suddenly that Ashitaka very nearly ran into her.

"Is something wrong?" He asked the concern evident in his voice.

"I hear someone coming this way," whispered San. As if on cue, Cargo and Cress ran out from amongst the trees, their weapons in hand. Instinctively, Ashitaka and San drew their own swords. Neither was aware of who they were facing, but could tell that they weren't friendly.

"Who are you and what do you want?" San questioned.

"Come now San, don't you remember who I am?" Cress said. His face was calm, but anger blazed in the eye San could see.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," San replied.

"Well you _should_ be afraid," Cress snarled. "I'm shocked you could forget who I am after what you did to me." He then flicked the hair from his face. It only took one second for his hair to fall back into place, but for Ashitaka and San it was one second too long, they could hardly bare to look at the sight. On the top right part of Cress's face was a scar that ran through the place where his eye should be. But instead of an eye, there was just a hole.

San momentarily remembered slashing someone through the eye. But the memory was too weak and it soon slipped away.

Now Cress's whole face showed his anger. "You did that to me, and worse." He roared. "Cargo, kill them both."

"My pleasure," smirked Cargo. Then he ran forward and attacked. San and Ashitaka fought together, but it hardly evened the playing field. With one arm behind his back, Cargo easily parried their blows. Despite being outnumbered and using only one arm, it appeared that Cargo was only toying with them.

'He could have beaten us by now, and he knows it,' thought Ashitaka. 'There's no way we can beat him, he is too skilled."

At that moment, Cargo slipped between his two opponents, and before they could even turn to face him, he kicked San in the back and brought the handle of his sword crashing into Ashitaka's head. Both went sprawling on the ground, but unlike Ashitaka, San managed to stay conscious. Cress merely watched with a look of amusement on his face. "Isn't this fun, San? I'm getting to hurt you, just like you hurt me. Do you remember yet?"

San glowered at him. "What do you mean? _You're_ not doing anything," she spat. "If you want revenge so badly, why don't you fight me yourself?"

This seemed to touch a nerve, as Cress's amusement vanished and his anger returned. "Cargo, what are you waiting for? Finish her off!" He ordered.

"In one moment," replied Cargo. He was more interested in killing Ashitaka. He repositioned the handle of his sword, so the blade now pointed downwards. "See you in the spirit world." He laughed, and raised his sword to strike. San watched in horror, the worst part was that she knew there was nothing she could do.

But just as Cargo was about to bring his sword down on the unconscious boy, he instead spun around and seemed to grab something in the air. At first San didn't know what had happened, but soon realized when she saw what was in Cargo's hand. "No way," she gasped. He was holding an arrow. 'But that means he must have heard someone fire an arrow, turned around in time to see it, and then grab it in mid-air.' She was stunned to say the least. 'Is that even possible?'

"I was wondering when you'd step in," chuckled Cargo. "Come on out, we all know you're there." San got another surprise; the person who emerged from the bushes was the same girl who she had spoken to earlier that day. The traveller had placed her bow back in her quiver and now had her sword in hand.

Cress scowled, the interruption had obviously irritated him. "And to whom do I owe this displeasure?" He asked.

"My name is Kaya," said the girl, "Princess Kaya."

"Great," muttered Cress. "I only came here for Princess Mononoke, and I also get stuck with who I presume is Prince Ashitaka and Princess Kaya.

Now it was San's turn to scowl. "My name isn't actually Princess Mononoke," she hissed.

"Shut up!" screamed Cress. "Just finish all of them."

Cargo once again pointed his blade at Ashitaka. "If you harm Ashitaka, I will kill you," yelled Kaya. Cargo looked at the girl. He could see why she cared for Ashitaka's wellbeing. It was one of his many abilities; he could tell many things about someone just by looking into their eyes.

"Alright, I won't harm him just yet," Cargo smiled.

"What?" Cress roared his rage reaching boiling point. To his horror and dismay, Cargo then turned and ran into the forest. "What are you doing? Get back here and kill them!"

Cargo looked back over his shoulder as he ran. "Don't worry," he called, "I will kill them, but not until I've had a bit of fun toying with them first." After saying this, he disappeared into the forest.

San used this break in the action to get to her feet. She then cupped her hands to her month and mimicked a wolf's howl. She often used this as a message to her wolf brothers that she was in trouble.

Cress angrily turned to face San and Kaya again. "Well I guess I'll just have to finish you both myself." He paused for a moment, looking at Ashitaka, who was still lying unconscious on the ground. "Then I shall slit your precious Ashitaka's throat," he sneered. And just as he'd hoped, upon hearing these words San was filled with anger.

"You bastard!" she screamed, and without thinking charged at him.

"No wait," Kaya yelled desperately, but to no avail. San ran at Cress and swung her sword at him. Of course, Cress had been expecting this and ducked at the last second. Before San even realized she had missed, Cress drew his sword and brought the handle crashing into her gut. San felt all her breath get knocked out of her. But Cress wasn't done; he then punched her in the face with all his might. San fell to the ground, she was still conscious but in no condition to defend herself. 'Why didn't she wait,' thought Kaya, 'we could have taken him together.'

At this point Cress turned his attention to Kaya. "You were brave to attack Cargo, I'll give you that. But then again, I doubt you were expecting him to catch that arrow were you," he sniggered. Kaya ignored his comment and went into a crouching position, so she'd be ready to defend herself.

Cress ran forward, not taking his eyes off Kaya. She waited until he was almost in reach of her sword and then sprang forward, thrusting her blade at him. She was alarmed at how quickly Cress moved. He side stepped almost immediately after she started moving towards him. Kaya quickly swung her sword at Cress, just in time to parry one of his blows. "I don't wear armour for a reason." Cress explained as they continued to duel. "It slows you down. I always take speed over power."

Kaya waited until she saw an opening, and then kicked his leg. Cress stumbled and fell; he put his left hand out in front of him so he didn't fall flat on his face. Kaya raised her sword to end him, but before she could strike Cress swung his leg at her, knocking her down. He was on his feet again instantly. "I will deal with you later," he said walking back over to San.

"Wait you can't," yelled Kaya.

"Watch me," he smiled and raised his sword. San looked up but she was in such pain she could do nothing to stop him. But Cress seemed to hesitate, his sword wavering in the air.

'Why am I stopping,' he screamed inside his head. 'She deserves it after what she did to me.' But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. This cost him, because at that moment the sound of paws running on the ground could be heard, and it was getting closer. "Looks like your brothers are here, Mononoke," he spat. "You lucked out this time, but I'll be back." Once he said this he sprinted off into the forest.

The instant he left, Oro and Oko came running into the small clearing. San and Kaya breathed a sigh of relief. They were safe, at least for now.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4: Together Again

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 4: Together Again

Kaya slowly got to her feet. 'Who were they?' she thought, as she sheathed her sword. She noticed Oko and Oro were looking at her with angry expressions on their faces.

"Did you do this to our sister and Ashitaka?" Growled Oko, and bared his teeth.

Kaya, although she managed to hide it, felt a pang of anger in her heart. They had no right to accuse her of doing such a thing. "No." She began, this time she restrained from bowing to them. "I would never harm Ashitaka or a friend of his. I swear on my life."

"It's true," San intervened, whilst slowly standing up. She was still in pain, but no longer showed it. "You just missed the attackers. If it hadn't been for her, I would not be alive to tell you this."

San's brothers seem surprised that San defended Kaya. Even so, they bowed their heads. "You have our apologies," said Oko. "I am Oko, and this is my brother, Oro."

Kaya relaxed upon hearing them apologise and bowed in return. "It's alright. I am Princess Kaya, and I assure you, I am your ally." She smiled.

San narrowed her eyes. It would have been incorrect to say that she distrusted Kaya and of course, was thankful that she had saved her life. But at the same time, San wasn't positive that she wanted to make a human she hardly knew, her ally. "Why should we believe that?" San asked.

"I promise, when Ashitaka wakes up, he will tell you who I am and that you can trust me." Kaya insisted.

"Why can't you just tell us now?" growled Oro.

Kaya looked at her feet uncomfortably; she wasn't quite sure how to answer that question. "I don't want anyone to know who I am until Ashitaka is aware I'm here." She looked at San and the wolves pleadingly. "For the safety of my people, I would prefer as few people to know of my existence as possible."

San could tell this was no act, and understood, "very well. Anyway, we should get Ashitaka back to our den. He will be safe there." Kaya nodded in agreement, and together, the two girls lifted the unconscious boy onto Oro's back and started to walk in the direction of the den. Normally, Oko and Oro would have been able to make it back to the den in just over five minutes, but to ensure Ashitaka remained in his current position, they could not move faster than walking speed.

As they made their way slowly through the forest, San couldn't help but notice how pretty Kaya was. That and how angry Kaya had been when Cargo had tried to harm Ashitaka caused San to feel a twinge of jealousy. 'Could she be Ashitaka's former love, come to try and win him back.' San thought bitterly. 'No, surely… Surely Ashitaka would have told me about her. But then who is she and why is she so fond of him.' San was so deep in thought that the sound of Kaya's voice nearly made her jump.

"So are you part of the wolf clan?" Kaya asked.

"Huh, what?" San replied, as she came back to reality.

"Are you part of the wolf clan?" Kaya repeated patiently.

"Oh, yes." San answered. "And, as I said earlier to the boy that attacked us, I'm not called Mononoke. My real name is San."

"Well than, pleased to meet you San." Kaya began. "Are you Ashitaka's…" She paused, choosing her words carefully. "…mate?"

San felt the heat rise to her cheeks, "No, not yet." She then turned and looked directly into Kaya's eyes. "How did you know we were lovers?"

Kaya smiled, "Well, I could tell the two of you were close by the way you reacted when that blue haired boy threatened to kill him." Upon saying this, Kaya gestured to the necklace San wore. "But that is what gave it away. I know that dagger is very special to Ashitaka, and he wouldn't give it to just anyone." San glanced down at the crystal dagger. So she knew this formerly belonged to him. Exactly how much did this girl know about Ashitaka?

'Well, I guess I will find out soon enough,' She thought. As they continued to walk through the forest, silence fell on the small group and they remained quiet for the rest of the journey.

* * *

"So I defeated them easily." Cargo explained to Asano. "That's when I…"

"That's when you fled," interrupted Cress, "Like a coward!"

The two had arrived back at Iron Town and were currently arguing in Asano's quarters. Cress was letting his rage loose on Cargo, but he didn't seem to care one bit. Lord Asano sat on his throne, watching the two in amusement.

Cargo snorted at Cress's comment. "I told you, I spared their lives so I could entertain myself for longer." He gave his usual, sickening smirk. "No one on this planet could ever hope to defeat me. And for that reason, instead of searching for someone who can stand against my skills, I look for someone who I will enjoy toying with." He continued and began to laugh. "So don't worry Cress, I will kill that Wolf Girl, but not just yet." When he finished speaking he turned and walked towards the door. "Oh, and if anything should happen to spoil my fun, it will mean the end of both of you." He added, without so much as looking over his shoulder.

The moment the door closed behind him, Asano glared at Cress, infuriated. "Why didn't you warn me he was an out-of-control maniac?"

Cress looked at Asano, the anger gone from his eye. "As I recall, I did tell you working with him was very risky. But before I could elaborate, you said: 'I don't care about the risk, just as long as I take control of Iron Town.'" The quotation part had been said with a slightly stupid tone, to demonstrate Cress's uncaring nature towards Asano's views.

Asano glowered at him. "Yes, but I didn't think you meant he might turn on me at any time. And how can you be so calm, he said he'd kill you too."

Cress looked at Asano once again, this time his eye was full of pain and suffering. "Because I just don't care," he sighed. "Thanks to San and Eboshi, I lost my family and my beliefs. When they both lie dead, I will have nothing and I will welcome death." With that, Cress turned and strode out of the room his cape flapping behind him, leaving a bewildered Asano alone to think about how much power over Cargo he had.

* * *

San smiled as she watched Ashitaka. The five of them had arrived back at her den nearly half an hour ago. Oro and Oko were keeping watch on the roof of the cave and Kaya was practicing her swordsmanship skills a short distance away. This left San to watch over Ashitaka. He was still unconscious, but he seemed to have mostly recovered and looked more like he was in a peaceful sleep.

'He looks cute when he's asleep,' San thought. 'But then again, he always looks that way to me.'

She was about to check to see if her brothers had heard anything, when Ashitaka's eyes slowly began to open. "You're awake." She cried in relief.

"San? What happened?" He asked as he sat up. Instead of answering, San leaned forward and kissed him, a gesture he gratefully returned.

When their lips parted, San began to explain. "Cargo knocked you out, and if it wasn't for that girl I told you about earlier, you'd be in the spirit world by now." At the mention of Kaya, Ashitaka's eyes widened. "Cargo then ran off for some reason, and my brothers scared the other boy away, so the four of us brought you back here."

"What, four of you. You mean that girl is still here," said Ashitaka, immediately getting to his feet.

San nodded, "yes, she…" But before she could finish Ashitaka ran passed her and out of the cave entrance. The moment he saw her, he knew it was Kaya. She was facing away from him, but her hat and hair style were enough for him to be sure, he even recognised the way she used her sword.

As he ran towards her, he noticed two things. The first was that along with her silk gown she now wore leggings, as she always did in the winter time, and a cape, which he assumed was to represent that she had been made the new princess of their village after he left. As she had taken off her straw hat, he could also see that the hair that she normally had tied at the top of her head was no longer there. He smiled, that meant that she had left with the others' blessing, as it was a tradition to cut your hair when you left the Emishi village, never to return.

When she heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her, Kaya sheathed her sword and called, "Has he woken up?" thinking it was only San.

"Yes, I have." Ashitaka responded.

The moment he finished speaking Kaya spun round. Contrary to her usual calm appearance, she had a look of unease and nervousness on her face. "Er… Brother, I…" She managed to stutter. Although she'd been longing to see him, she was terrified that he would not approve of her leaving her village unnecessarily.

"Sister, it's so good to see you," He smiled, and when these words reached Kaya's ears, her expression changed to one of joy, and the two embraced. "Kaya, what are you doing here," whispered Ashitaka.

"When you left I became the new princess, and things seemed to go well. But…" she paused, "I could tell that the others wanted a prince not a princess, and, honestly, all I wanted was to be with you again. So after one month, I cut my hair and the others bid me farewell, saying they would pick a worthy replacement, and I've been searching for you since then."

They drew apart from the embrace, "I told you I would not forget you, and now that you're here, we can be together again."

"Hey!" yelled San, as she ran towards them. She hadn't been able to hear what they were saying and so had got the wrong end of the stick. "Would you mind telling me who she is?"

"Of course," chuckled Ashitaka, "She's my sister."

San skidded to a halt, "Oh, your sister… That's alright then," She muttered.

Ashitaka and Kaya did their best to hide their amusement. "Oh, I know what you thought," giggled Kaya. San scowled and was about to respond when a voice cut her off.

"Ashitaka!" called a familiar voice, and seconds later Toki and Kohroku came running into the clearing. "Ashitaka, Iron Town has been taken over by Lord Asano." Toki said, whilst trying to catch her breath. "Lady Eboshi wishes to speak with you and San as soon as possible."

"Very well," said Ashitaka. "Would you mind coming with us." He asked, turning to San.

"If this 'Asano' puts the forest in danger, then I will gladly come," Replied San, "provided my brother can come too."

"Of course. And…" began Toki, "who are you."

"This is Kaya, my little sister," explained Ashitaka, as Kaya did her traditional bow.

"Your sister!" Toki exclaimed in surprise. She, like most of the others, had just assumed that Ashitaka's family had died, due to him never mentioning them. "Well then, I guess she can come too.

"Great," said Ashitaka, "Let me just get Yakul and we can go."

As Ashitaka went to retrieve his elk, who was waiting patiently by the cave, Kaya picked up her hat, which she had placed on a nearby rock. San watched Kaya place it on her head. "If you ask me, that hat just makes you look stupid."

"Well, I could say the same about those red markings on you face," retorted Kaya, without looking at San. If she had looked, she would have seen the irritated expression that appeared on San's face.

"How dare you say that! Those are a symbol of my leadership."

"So is my cape, but you don't hear me bragging about it."

Ashitaka rolled his eyes as the two continued to argue and exchange insults. This was going to be a long trip back.

To Be Continued…


	5. Chapter 5: Discussion and Harsh Words

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 5: Discussion and Harsh Words

Ashitaka, San, Kaya, Toki and Kohroku rode into the clearing where the people of Iron Town had made camp. Ashitaka was of course riding his elk, Kaya and Kohroku were on Oko, while Oro carried San and Toki. It had been originally suggested that San and Kaya rode on the same wolf, but it soon became clear, after a few insults were exchanged, that that wasn't going to happen. Even so, this hadn't prevented the two girls from continuing their argument. In fact, it was still going on as the five of them dismounted the animals they were riding, or in Kohroku's case, fell off.

"So let me get this straight _Wolf-breath_, you've known Ashitaka for just three months and you already think you know him better than I do." Kaya spat.

"Yeah, now you're getting it _Fish-face_!" San snapped back.

"Fish-face? I was known as the most beautiful girl in my village!"

"Ha, I'm sure they only said that because you were the princess." San smirked, "I mean, do you really think you're prettier than me and the other women here?"

"Well, I don't know about the other women, but I'm certainly more beautiful than you!"

"Could you two just give it a rest," sighed Ashitaka, as he massaged his forehead.

"Yeah," agreed Oro, "You two are acting like pups."

"Shut up!" San and Kaya shouted in unison, causing them to glare daggers at each other, before they turned away, folding their arms.

"Follow me," said Toki as she pulled Kohroku to his feet. "I'll take you to Lady Eboshi."

By now the sun had almost set, and darkness fell on the forest as they walked through the campsite. Toki led them to the tent in the centre of the clearing. "Milady, Ashitaka and San are here to speak with you."

"You may enter," called Eboshi from inside the tent.

When Ashitaka entered he saw Eboshi sitting on a cushion by a low, round table, with Gonza standing next to her. Eboshi made no objection when she saw San's brothers; however her expression changed rather noticeably when Kaya entered the tent. "I would rather have no intrusion on this discussion." She said, in a calm but firm voice, while she wondered why Ashitaka had brought this girl.

Kaya responded by bowing and said, "You must be Lady Eboshi, it is an honour to meet you. I will leave if that's what you wish."

"Eboshi," Ashitaka interrupted, "I would prefer it if she could stay, she is my sister." He explained.

"And my name is Kaya," she added, bowing again.

Even Eboshi was unable to stop herself looking slightly startled when she was informed who Kaya was. Apart from the fact that he had been cursed by a demon, this was the first time she, or anyone for that matter, had learnt anything about Ashitaka's past. "Oh, your sister, well in that case she may stay if she wishes to help us."

"Of course I will help. I will do whatever I can to assist you." Kaya assured Eboshi, impressing both Gonza and Eboshi with her obedience.

"Please, sit down." Eboshi offered. Oro and Oko remained where they were, while Ashitaka, San and Kaya moved towards the table. Ashitaka sat down next to Eboshi, and Kaya was about to sit next to him when San pushed passed her and took that place. The annoyance appeared quite evidently on Kaya's face, and Ashitaka could tell she was putting less effort into remaining calm. But she held her tongue and instead sat in between Eboshi and San. The two girls refused to look the other in the eye.

"Alright," began Eboshi, "Before we decide what to do about Asano and his army, I must tell you about Cargo and Cress."

"Cargo?" whispered Kaya.

"Let me guess, one has green hair, and the other has blue hair and only one eye." Ashitaka stated bluntly.

Eboshi raised her eyebrows. "I take it you've heard of them then."

"Heard of them? We fought them," hissed San. "And as much as I hate to admit it, if it hadn't been for Kaya, they would have killed Ashitaka and me." Kaya scowled at San's statement, but once again remained silent.

"How could Kaya stand against Cargo," asked Eboshi.

"I didn't. Cress was the one I saved them from," Kaya explained. "Cargo ran off saying he wanted to toy with us for longer."

"Well, be thankful he did, you would be foolish to try and defeat him. Even all three of you together won't stand a chance." Eboshi stated matter-of-factly.

"I gathered that," Ashitaka muttered. "He had one hand behind his back and he seemed to just toy with San and myself."

"It doesn't surprise me," Eboshi said, shaking her head. "Over two-hundred assassins have been sent to kill him. They have attacked in groups as large as twenty and not one has even succeeded in scratching him."

When she heard this, San's mouth dropped open. Kaya merely raised one eyebrow. "Impressive," she muttered.

"What about the blue haired boy, Cress?" asked Ashitaka.

"He used to be a resident of Iron Town," Eboshi said sadly. "But he and his family were always against the destruction of the forest, but I never listened to them, in fact no one did."

"Imagine how many deaths would have been avoided if you had just listened to him," Growled Oko, speaking for the first time since they had arrived in the camp.

Eboshi raised her eyebrows again. "When I say 'no one' that includes you, they would often go into the forest and offer deals, or even try to join you. But you and the other forest inhabits always chased them away." This revelation shocked San and her brothers; they never knew that some of Iron Town's residents had actually tried to help them. They weren't quite sure how to respond, so they said nothing.

"So what happened to them," Ashitaka asked uneasily. Based on what he had heard so far and what Cress had shouted earlier, he had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.

Eboshi took a deep breath. "Six months ago they decided to leave Iron Town, saying they no longer wanted to be a part of the war. But when they left, San and her family attacked them. They killed his parents and his nine-year-old sister." Her distaste for the topic was obvious by her tone, but even so, she continued. "And, as you may have already guessed, he was slashed across his right eye."

"I remember now," San said quietly. "Yes, we slaughtered them all." Regret clear in her voice. Kaya turned her head away so San wouldn't see the disgusted look on her face. Ashitaka was also shocked by San's actions, he was well aware she had killed to protect the forest, but killing a nine-year-old girl? On the other hand, it had probably been her mother or brothers who were responsible for that death.

"I will never know how he survived," Eboshi continued, "He returned to Iron Town later that day. The image of his face still haunts me, and I can still remember what he said."

_-Flashback-_

"_When I came to and found my family lying dead around me, I wondered why I didn't die," said Cress, blood dripping from his wound. "Then I realised. I had to see her face again; I had to see that wolf girl suffer the same way I suffered." _

_-End Flashback-_

"He left saying he would return to take his revenge on San and myself."

"Why you?" asked Ashitaka.

"Because I was the main cause of the war, and the war killed his family, therefore he felt I was as responsible as San for their deaths." Eboshi stopped for a moment, before adding, "The grief drove him insane. I thought he would come to his senses; he had never harmed anyone before in his life. But if he's mad enough to make a deal with Asano and Cargo, there is no hope left for him."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kaya whispered quietly. She hadn't meant for anyone to hear, but she didn't consider how good San's hearing was.

She snorted, "I guess little girls are entitled to their fantasies."

Kaya finally snapped. "What's that supposed to mean." She shouted.

"That boy tried to kill you, me and your brother," San yelled back, "He had reason to want to harm me, but not you or Ashitaka, so it would have been cold blooded murder. You think that there might still be good in him, don't make me laugh."

"If you weren't so stubborn and look at the situation in more detail, you might see the logic to my theory," said Kaya, getting to her feet, and San instinctively did the same.

"Alright then, enlighten us, what are these 'details' that I have apparently missed."

"If you'd stop interrupting Mononoke, I will tell. First of all, he seemed to find it necessary to hire someone to kill you, even though he appeared more than capable of defeating you himself," Kaya pointed out. "I'd say that shows that even after what you did to him, he can't bring himself to kill."

"Oh please," San scoffed sarcastically. "The appearance of my brothers was the only thing that saved me from certain death."

The two glared at each other, fire blazing in their eyes. "That brings me to my second point." Kaya hissed. "Cress had more than enough time to stab you, but he just stood there, I don't think he could bring himself to finish you. And after what he went through, he at least deserves a chance. How do you think you would feel if it had been your family that was murdered?" Ashitaka, Gonza and Eboshi glanced anxiously at each other.

For a brief instant, the fire in San's eyes was replaced by pain and hurt. "My mother was murdered, by her!" San shouted, pointing at Eboshi, who looked away.

Kaya's expression softened and her anger was replaced with regret, but she replied by saying "And when that happened did you not find yourself full of anger and a thrust for revenge?"

Now it was San's turn to feel her anger disappear. "Yes," she said softly, much to the surprise of her brothers and Kaya. 'I was so filled with hate I nearly killed Ashitaka after he saved my life,' she thought. 'It would have been cold blooded murder.' Then she turned and left the tent without another word.

"San wait," Kaya called, running after her, wishing she could take back what she had said. Ashitaka got up to follow them, but Oro stood in his way.

"Give them time to speak alone," he requested, "Let us return to the matter at hand."

Ashitaka threw a quick glance at the entrance of the tent, and then he nodded.

* * *

San walked about 20 metres from the tent, her eyes watering at the memory of her mother. 'No,' She thought, 'I must not cry.'

"San," called a voice, and San looked back to see Kaya running towards her. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I did not mean the insults and I had no idea about your mother."

San shook her head. "Don't apologize, you were right; I was consumed by my desire for revenge, and I can only imagine what it was like for Cress to lose his entire family in one day."

Kaya was relieved to find San didn't hate her. "I know the chances are slim, but if Cress still despises killing after what happened, I don't think he could be truly evil. That boy at least deserves a second chance."

"I understand," San replied, looking away. "If Ashitaka hadn't given me a chance I wouldn't be here." She then looked back at Kaya. "Oh and, sorry for the things I said. I think I was jealous of how close you are to Ashitaka."

"My actions were brought on by similar reasons," smiled Kaya. She paused, and scratched the back of her head nervously. "Well now that we've… broken the ice. What do you say, friends?"

San frowned for a moment. 'Friends with a human?' she thought. But a voice at the back of her head whispered, 'She's Ashitaka's sister and she saved you. Just trust her.'

San nodded, "Friends," She agreed, smiling back.

* * *

"So we attack when the Forest Gods finish gathering their forces," Ashitaka concluded.

"Yes, but it may take up to three weeks for us to find enough fighters to help," Oko commented.

"Take all the time you need," replied Eboshi.

Then at that moment, a deafening crash could be heard, attracting their attention. "What the hell was that!" exclaimed Ashitaka, but based on the screams that followed he could almost guess. His sister ran back into the tent a moment later and confirmed his fears.

"Ashitaka, come quickly," Kaya cried, "a demon is attacking!"

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Battle with a Demon

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 6: Battle with a Demon

Ashitaka's eyes grew wide at Kaya's words. 'Another demon, but how?' he thought in horror. He opened his mouth to respond, and say something along the lines of "Kaya, you must find a safe place to hide." But she was already gone, running out of the tent at a speed even Ashitaka couldn't have matched. The only person he'd seen run that fast before was San. 'She's much quicker than I remember,' he thought, as he turned to face Eboshi. "Would I be stupid to hope that you have _any_ rifles or grenades here," he questioned, even though he could predict the answer.

Eboshi, who had already gotten to her feet, gave him a look that answered his question without the need for words. "Yeah, I thought so," he muttered.

"We must move quickly or that creature will destroy the entire camp," proclaimed Eboshi, taking off her coat and tossing it aside. Then she, Ashitaka, Gonza and the wolves moved quickly out of the tent and joined San, who was currently clutching her sword and staring at the bear demon in disbelief.

"How could another god let itself become such a thing," San said, almost in tears.

"If I had to guess, Cargo is the one responsible," Eboshi, quite correctly, concluded.

The bear roared and began to shoot out black worm like tentacles in all directions, as the people of Iron Town desperately tried to find cover. Touching one of those tentacles would literally be the death of you. Ashitaka turned to the girl standing beside him. "San we've got to…" he stopped, noticing something he should have noticed immediately. It was Kaya's hat, lying just behind San. "Where's Kaya," he said, as he looked around, panic in his eyes, just like the protective brother he was.

"What, I thought she was here," San gasped, as she too saw the hat.

"There she is," Gonza yelled, pointing. The other five turned abruptly, and saw Kaya briskly climbing a tree at the very edge of the campsite.

"What the hell is she doing?" exclaimed Oko.

Ashitaka could see, to his discomfort that the tree Kaya had chosen was positioned so that there were no tents or villagers in between her and the demon. This gave him an idea of what she was planning. "Something crazy but brave, like always" he laughed in response to Oko's question. "Oh how I've missed this."

Kaya pulled herself up so she stood on one of the branches and yelled, "Hey there, you over grown pile of worms, attack me if you dare!" The 'over grown pile of worms' didn't understand a word of what she shouted, but the noise was enough to get its attention. It turned and charged at her. 'Wait for the right moment' she thought and drew her sword. Kaya had picked a branch so she was slightly higher than the bear when it was on all fours. The moment before it hit the tree, Kaya jumped from her perch and onto the demon's back.

Due to the bear's mass, the collision with the tree nearly uprooted it, causing the creature great pain, just as Kaya planned. A second later, her sword cut deep into the flesh just below the back of its neck. However, the bear was so large; this only proceeded to further enrage it. The demon stood on its hind legs and tried to shake her off.

Kaya hastily pulled her sword free and jumped off the creatures back, completing a forward roll when she hit the ground, allowing her to be on her feet again in an instant and she retreated a few metres before turning to face the demon again. Ashitaka watched her, stunned. 'When did she get this good? She made that seem effortless.'

Kaya looked nervously at the bear, as it turned to face her. 'Well that could have gone better,' she thought. The bear then began to fire its black tentacles at her, which she swiftly cut to pieces. As she did this, she glanced at Ashitaka and the others. "Hey! If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I could use some help!" She screamed.

"Oh, yes, of course," said Ashitaka, as he snapped out of his train of thought. He ran towards the demon, pulling his bow and arrow from his quiver. He took aim and let the arrow fly. But the visibility was too poor; it went sailing over the creatures head. "Shoot," he cursed under his breath.

San darted quietly behind the bear, she had started moving the moment Kaya had called for assistance. She continued to creep as close as she dared and threw her sword at it. The creature was still standing on its hind legs, so she had a clear shot at its neck. However, to her dismay, the bear turned at the last second and knocked the sword with its arm, sending it flying. Now she was face-to-face with the demon, with no way to defend herself.

Ashitaka launched a second arrow at the demon. This one would have hit the demon square in the eye; unfortunately a frightened villager knocked him when they frantically ran for cover, causing his shot to go wide. Before he had a chance to grab his third arrow, the demon attacked.

San's eyes widened when the demon sent its tentacles at her. She jumped to the side just in time to avoid them, but as a result, went sprawling on the ground. She looked up, the terror visible on her face; there was no chance of her dodging the next attack. The demon's tentacles came for her yet again; she closed her eyes and waited for them to curse her. But they didn't. San slowly opened her eyelids, before they shot open at what she saw. 'You can't be serious!' Kaya stood in front of her, facing the demon and sword in hand. The remains of the severed black worms were melting into the ground. 'She saved me _twice_, in the same day!' As thankful as she was, San found it humiliating to admit she had needed saving.

At that instant, an arrow, Ashitaka's third, drove itself into the demon's neck. It roared in pain and turned its attention to him. After she sheathed her sword, Kaya pulled out her bow and last arrow, the others had fallen out of her quiver when she had jumped off the demon earlier. 'I better make this count,' she thought, as she watched the bear send black tentacles at Ashitaka.

He moved to avoid them, but the bear hadn't been aiming for him, but his bow. The worm like creatures rapped themselves around his weapon and lifted it, along with him into the air. He desperately held on, knowing that it was his only real defence against the beast. In response to his refusal to let go, the demon hurled Ashitaka to the ground. Pain shot through his entire body as he smacked face down into the dirt. He immediately pushed himself onto his back and saw the bear charging at him. His hand went to retrieve an arrow, but to his alarm, it closed on emptiness. All his arrows had fallen from his quiver when he had been thrown moments before. He reached for his sword, even though he knew it was pointless, there was no chance of stopping that thing with just a blade. It was over.

Then suddenly the demon veered off to the left, narrowly avoiding crushing Ashitaka. He turned his head to look at the creature, catching a brief glimpse before it took off into the forest and disappeared into the distance. He managed to spot something sticking into its right eye, which he was sure must have been an arrow.

"Ashitaka," called a concerned voice, and he looked to his left to see Kaya running towards him, holding her bow.

He stared at her in amazement. "Was that your arrow?"

She nodded. "Are you alright bro?"

"Yes, thanks to you," He smiled.

She smiled back. "Just repaying the debt," Kaya replied, extending her hand to help him up. He gratefully took her hand and got to his feet, momentarily wondering what she meant. Then he realized she was referring to when he had killed the boar demon three months ago. He had saved his sister from its clutches back then, and now she had returned the favour by saving him. Ashitaka would later learn that Kaya had put a lot of pain, sweat and blood into her training before she left to search for him, to ensure her skills equalled his. That was how she had been able to hit the demon even when it was moving so quickly.

He noticed San walking up behind Kaya. "What debt?" She asked.

Upon hearing this Kaya pretended to pout. "Gee bro, didn't you mention me at all?" She said looking at Ashitaka with mock anger.

"Come on Kaya, you know I wasn't supposed to," Ashitaka laughed.

"Well she is your mate; I doubt it would have killed you to just mention that you have a little sister."

Both Ashitaka and San went a dark shade of red at Kaya's statement. "I told you, we're not mates yet," said a very embarrassed San.

As his blush vanished, Ashitaka laughed again. "She's only winding you up San," he said, as he saw Kaya trying to stifle her giggles.

"Oh, San's just a bit sore because I had to save her again."

"Am not, there was no need for you to step in, I had that completely under control." San protested.

"Of course you did," Kaya smirked, the sarcasm evident in her voice. "I'm sure you had a plan that involved lying in the grass with your eyes shut tight in fear."

"I've got to agree with Kaya," said Ashitaka, sniggering. "You really didn't look as if you had that 'under control.'"

Trying, and failing, to look angry, San replied, "Fine, I did need Kaya's help, but I was not scared."

"Did you just call her Kaya," asked Ashitaka, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes, I called her by her really name without insulting her, get over it," San scoffed.

"Well I think we're friends now," added Kaya. "Unless you're too proud to admit it, little wolf girl." The last three words were said in a teasing tone.

"Oh that is it, you are so dead." San laughed reaching for her sword. Kaya did the same, but thankfully Ashitaka stepped between them.

"Now, now, calm down you two," he chuckled.

At that point Eboshi, Gonza and San's brothers came up to them. "Are any of you hurt?" asked Eboshi.

"Just a bit bruised, but nothings broken," replied Ashitaka.

"Sorry, we didn't help," growled Oro. "But there wasn't much we could do without getting cursed by that thing."

"It was better you stayed out of the battle, doing something suicidal is no way to help," Kaya pointed out.

"Then why is it you persistently do just that," smirked Ashitaka.

"You know, I was just about to ask you the same thing," Kaya smirked back. San couldn't stop herself giggling. If Oro and Oko hadn't been wolves, the surprise would have been clear on their faces. It was rare for San to laugh. True, she had been much happier with Ashitaka, but her happiness didn't normally extend to the point of laughter. So her brothers found it strange that someone she had only just met could have the ability to amuse her.

'I guess they must have come to a compromise just before the demon attacked,' thought Oko. 'Maybe spending time with the humans is good for San after all.'

"Anyway," San began, "did you reach a decision?"

Oro nodded, "Oko and I will search the forest and gather as many fighters as we can, and then the humans and the rest of us will retake Iron Town."

"And what am I supposed to do in the mean time?" San questioned.

"For now San, we should return to the den and gets some rest," Ashitaka suggested.

"I will have a place prepared for Kaya," said Eboshi.

"Well, actually," Kaya began, "I was wondering if I could come back to the den with you two." She said, looking hopefully at Ashitaka and San. "I got rather used to staying in the forest. And if you want some privacy, I'd be happy to sleep under the stars."

Ashitaka blushed slightly at what he thought Kaya was inferring. "Well I don't object to her coming," he said turning to San, who folded her arms.

"Well, I can't really say no after she saved me." This made everyone laugh, including San.

To Be Continued…


	7. Chapter 7: Cargo's Sinister Plan

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 7: Cargo's Sinister Plan

San lay motionless under her blanket. Ashitaka lay next to her, both of them fully clothed of course. They weren't mates yet, and anyway, Kaya was lying just a short distance away. San was waiting until she was sure the other two were definitely asleep.

It was three weeks after the demon attack, and the reconquering of Iron Town was planned to take place the day after next. Kaya had used this time to build a small shelter where she could sleep. She had teasingly commented that it was necessary, as Ashitaka and San would need some privacy very soon, much to their embarrassment. For now though, she remained in the wolves den, as it would be dangerous to stay in a wooden shelter with a demon still at large. Oro and Oko were still off searching for a few more animals to help in the upcoming battle.

Much to San's ignorance, Ashitaka had mentioned to Kaya that he had originally been planning to ask San to be his mate the day Lord Asano's army arrived. However, he had not been given the chance before Cargo had attacked them, so decided to postpone asking her. He did not want their first time to be during such a dark period.

San waited until she had no doubt that the other two were asleep, before she slipped out from under her blanket and collected her sword, daggers and wolf fur. Putting the fur over her shoulders she made her way slowly out of the cave entrance, and towards the edge of the clearing. The young warrior had grown inpatient, so had decided to take things into her own hands. Her plan was to infiltrate Iron Town and kill Asano and Cargo in their sleep, and she hoped this would avoid the need for a blood soaked battle.

San was about to break into a run, when…

"Going somewhere," a soft voice called.

'You have got to be kidding me,' San thought, as she slowly turned to see Kaya, her arms folded, smirking at her. 'How does she move so fast?' she wondered, as she noticed that Kaya had not only retrieved her weapons but her hat and cape as well.

"Why should I tell you?" San questioned, smirking back.

But it soon became clear she shouldn't have asked. "Because if you don't, I'll call Ashitaka," Kaya replied, a mischievous expression on her face.

San's eyes widened, all her planning would be wasted. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Kaya replied casually.

"So what are you then, a cry baby," San mocked. That was a mistake.

Raising one eyebrow, Kaya said, "Oh, so I'm a cry baby, huh, well if you insist." She turned cupping her hands to her mouth and was about to yell "Ashitaka", when San interrupted.

"Okay, Okay," she hissed, "I'll tell you, just don't wake Ashitaka."

Kaya turned back, the smirk still evident on her face. "I knew you'd see sense," she joked.

Frowning, San reluctantly started to explain, "I didn't tell you or Ashitaka because I knew that at least one of you would try to stop me," she began. "I'm going to sneak into Iron Town and deal with Asano myself." She then waited for Kaya to try and talk her out of it.

"Oh, well then, let's go," said Kaya brightly.

San stared at her. "What?"

"Why exactly do you think I'm awake?" Kaya asked.

There was a pause. "I assumed I woke you," San answered truthfully.

"Nope, I was already awake, waiting for you to fall asleep. Take my advice; if you don't want someone to know you're awake, close your eyes." Kaya's smirk returned.

Honestly, the one thing San hadn't considered was the possibility that someone was watching _her_. "So why _are_ you awake?"

Kaya walked passed San, smiling innocently. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Well of course not. If it was I wouldn't… Wait." San suddenly worked it out. "_You_ were planning on going to Iron Town?"

Kaya nodded. "And the way I see it, either both of us go there, or neither of us go."

"Are you sure? I don't think this sort of thing is really safe for little girls." San said, trying to look serious.

Turning back and continuing to walk away, Kaya replied, "Well then, don't come if you think you're not up to it."

"What… I, er… you little," San stuttered, unable to come up with a response.

A moment later she regained her composure, and immediately pursued Kaya into the forest. "That wasn't funny," San scoffed when she caught up.

"Well, it certainly got the reaction I was looking for," sniggered Kaya. San huffed and quickened her pace. Kaya noticed this, and did the same. The two glanced at each other and grinned. A moment later they both broke into a run.

They ran side by side as they darted through the trees. They were so evenly matched neither could quite overtake the other. But they used all their energy far too quickly and soon came to a halt, gasping for breath.

"Oh man," wheezed Kaya, holding her sides. "When am I going to remember to stretch before I run that fast?"

San leaned against a tree as her breathing returned to normal. "Maybe later we could have a proper race, and I could demonstrate how much faster I am than you."

Shrugging, Kaya slowly began to make her way towards Iron Town again. "Whatever."

* * *

It took over two hours at walking speed, but the two princesses eventually arrived at their destination. They quietly moved around the outer wall of the village until the lookout tower over that gate was well out of sight. "Alright, you climb over first, and I'll warn you if I see any samurai," said San.

Kaya nodded in agreement. She used her daggers to pull herself up the wall. It was slow work, as she had to make sure to make as little noise as possible. All the while San made sure no one was in sight.

After about ten minutes of engraving holes in the wood, where she could place her daggers, Kaya finally pulled herself over the side and onto the ledge connected to the inner side of the wall. She landed on her stomach and immediately looked to her left and then her right, and froze. Her eyes fell upon a pair of black boots. She looked up and turned pale.

"I think it's passed your bed time," sneered Cargo, who had been crouching behind the wall until a moment ago, so San hadn't spotted him.

"Oh sh…" But Kaya was cut off as Cargo's boot collided with her face, knocking her out cold.

San watched in horror. She couldn't see Kaya, but from what she had seen, it was obvious what was happening. "Crap," she cursed, "now what?" She considered her options. She could either return to the den to get Ashitaka or go into Iron Town by herself. She reluctantly chose the latter; even with the fact that it would most likely involve being killed by Cargo or Cress. It would take far too long to go to the cave and back anyway, so she really didn't have a choice.

As the holes in the wall had already been made, San was over the top in a matter of seconds. She looked around and saw Cargo walking through the streets, Kaya's unconscious body draped over his shoulder. She climbed down the nearest ladder and went after him.

* * *

When Kaya came to, she found herself standing in what appeared to be a large bath, so large that the sides were higher than her head. She was standing because ropes had been tied around her wrists, one rope attached to each arm. The ropes had been slotted through two holes in the bath, one on each side.

Then unexpectedly the tension in one of the ropes dramatically increased. "Hey," Kaya screamed, when she realised that someone must be pulling on it from outside the bath. "What do you think you're doing? My arm happens to be attached permanently!" But whoever it was ignored her sarcastic comment, and merely pulled will more force. Kaya clenched her teeth and just took the pain. It wasn't until she felt as if her arm would come out of its socket, that the rope was finally released. Kaya let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding.

"You're no fun," said Cargo, as he climbed onto a platform, which had been built around the top of the bath. "Most people would have been begging me to stop."

'I might have guessed it was him.' "I am Princess Kaya, I don't beg to anyone." She yelled.

Cargo gave her an evil smile. "Let's see if you say that after you find out what I have planned."

"Cargo, I'm warning you." Kaya turned to see who had spoken and saw Cress standing on the opposite side of the bath's platform.

"I kill who I want, regardless of what you think." Cargo spat.

"But when I gave you the idea for this torture machine, you promised it would only be used on Lady Eboshi." Cress shouted, but not at Cargo; he was speaking to Asano who was standing about a metre from the bath.

"We need to test it first," laughed Asano, "and anyway why do you care how that girl dies, didn't she ruin your revenge."

"That doesn't matter, I may want her to perish but not in such a horrendous way. The only reason I want Eboshi to have such a fate is because it's thanks to her that I lost my parents, my sister and my…" Cress stopped himself just in time.

Kaya and Asano looked at Cress in shock, Cargo barely batted an eyelid. "You lost someone else?" Asano asked.

"My eye, I lost my eye," Cress said far too quickly, failing to convince anyone and he knew it so he quickly went back to the original topic. "I have no intention of letting you…"

"Look, you one eyed bastard," interrupted Cargo as he walked around the platform so he and Cress were face to face, "I suggest you hold your tongue or you may wake up one morning and find you no longer have a tongue to hold."

Cress's hand shot to his sword. "You son of a…" but, just as he had done to Kaya, Cargo cut him off. Cargo grabbed Cress's hand so tightly that he cried out in pain.

"Just relax," Cargo breathed, "Remember, when the upcoming battle provides me with the bloodshed I've been waiting for, I will then give you and Lord Asano what I promised."

Pulling his hand out of Cargo's grip, Cress snorted, "Oh yes, the Clow Cards," he muttered sarcastically.

"I still have my doubts about if they really exist," said Asano.

"That's because they don't, at least not yet," Cargo stated.

Cress laughed and jumped down from the platform. "And how exactly do you plan on reaching into the future to get them."

"All will be revealed soon enough," Cargo insisted, while he frowned at their lack of faith. "You can go; I will deal with the brat myself."

Asano left and Cress reluctantly followed suit. As soon as the door closed Cargo looked down at Kaya. "So what do you have planned for me? You son of a bitch!" she yelled, finishing the statement Cress had started.

Cargo didn't seem to notice the insult, and simply answered her question. "You can't see it from your current position, but just outside the window of this hut is a large water container. When I let the water flow, it will come down a tube and into this bath. So basically, I'm going to drown you." He spoke with such calmness that you wouldn't believe he was telling someone he was going to kill them in such a brutal way.

Momentarily losing her composure, Kaya's eyes widened with fear. "You bastard, you can't do that." She screamed.

Cargo smiled and jumped down so he stood right in front of her. He placed his hand on her face, his fingers on one cheek and thumb on the other. He looked straight into her brown eyes and said, "Why don't you say that again."

Kaya tried, but found that she was frozen in fear. Looking into his black eyes, the poor girl couldn't even bring herself to speak. 'Those eyes,' She thought, 'There not human eyes.' And she was right; those black pits were the kind of eyes you would expect to see on a demon.

To Be Continued…


	8. Chapter 8: Escape from Cargo

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 8: Escape from Cargo

Kaya felt herself become frozen with fear as Cargo's black demon eyes bored into her. It was unbelievable; she had unflinchingly faced a charging demon in order to protect her friend, and yet now… now she was petrified by just a man's stare. But Cargo was no ordinary man; she could see that very clearly by looking into those black pits. Kaya realised that he simply could not be beaten in combat, he was too strong. He was not just an impossible creature, he was an unbeatable creature.

She felt his hot breath on her face as he spoke. "Coward," he whispered, smiling at how pale her face had gone. But that one word sparked rage in the young princess. She, like her brother, prided herself on being calm and composed. However, she still found it difficult to control herself when being referred to as weak or cowardly. The rage allowed her to momentarily break free of the frightened state she was in. Only for one moment, but she seized the opportunity.

Mustering up all her courage Kaya spat in Cargo's face. Even he was unable to stop his surprise showing. "That's a first," he commented, "you're the only person to be forced to gaze into my eyes and manage to do more than just tremble in fear." He wiped the saliva away with his hand, his smile never disappearing. "I'd snap your neck in two, but that would be far too quick and painless. I want to hear you scream for mercy."

As he climbed out of the bath, Kaya desperately tried to free herself, but to no avail, the knots were much too tight. "Ashitaka won't let you or your friends get away with this," she screamed.

Once he was on the platform around the bath, Cargo turned and glared down at his prisoner. "First of all, they are _not_ my friends, and secondly, your brother isn't here to save you this time," he snarled.

Kaya gasped, "How do you know he's my brother?"

With a chuckle, Cargo replied, "I could see in your eyes that you loved him like a brother, so I guessed you and he must be siblings given the resemblance." And before Kaya could respond, he jumped down from the platform and exited the hut. This left Kaya all alone.

* * *

A short distance away a crouching San watched Cargo emerge, hidden behind the side of a house. She had seen Cress and Lord Asano departing from it a short time ago, but didn't dare make a move. With Cargo still there, any hope of pulling off a successful rescue was zero. Unless of course he let them escape, though she didn't really want to take that chance.

The water container was in view from where she was hiding, so when she saw Cargo remove the cork and put the wooden tube in place, she realised what he was planning and knew she didn't have much time left to save her friend.

What could she do? There was no chance of her being able to defeat Cargo. He was standing so he could change between looking at the window to looking at the door, which were the only entrance points to the hut, simply by turning his head. Meaning there was no way she could sneak passed him. The young warrior was completely helpless.

* * *

Kaya felt a shiver go up her spine as the cold water soaked through her shoes. They probably wouldn't need to drown her if the water was this icy. She'd almost certainly freeze within the hour.

And yet, despite everything, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander to what Cress had said: _"__I lost my parents, my sister and my…"_ and who? And why did he refrain from speaking of them? Was it too painful for him to mention?

There were only two people Kaya could think of who would be more painful to lose than one's parents and sister. His lover, but she was sure that if his lover was murdered he would let people know he was doing this for her.

It was unbearable to consider the other possibility, given Cress's age. Unfortunately, if Kaya was correct, there was no other person it could be.

Another shiver passing through her body brought her back to reality, and she discovered, to her horror, that the water was already up to her waist. She felt fear starting to take over, and her heart began to hammer in her chest. Kaya closed her eyes, took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. She knew the faster her heart beat the harder it would be to hold her breath, and so San would have less time to save her.

Few people besides Kaya would have been able to stop themselves going mad with terror as the water slowly inched its way up, higher and higher, while knowing the chance of survival was minuscule. But she didn't panic, Kaya had faith in San. She knew her friend would not abandon her.

It wasn't long before Kaya found she had to stand on tiptoe in order to keep her nose above the water line. She took one last deep breath and let her head fall forward and closed her eyes. Now she was at the mercy of desperation, as she realised how little time was left.

She frantically started pulling on the ropes, but Cargo had made sure escaping from them was impossible without help. All her efforts succeeded in doing were to waste precious oxygen. 'Please San, hurry,' she thought, as a large amount of bubbles burst from her mouth.

* * *

A scowl formed on Cargo's face. 'She must be submerged by now, so where are the cries for mercy?' he wondered. 'She's certainly a cut above the rest if she can take being drowned without saying a word. Well, I can't let her die if she hasn't begged me to stop first.' He sat down, leaning his back against the side of the house and shut his eyes.

* * *

San stared in disbelief. 'Did he just go to sleep?' She didn't believe it, but had no choice but to make a move there and then. She knew Kaya couldn't have long left.

Without a sound she sprinted up to the window and climbed through, whilst resisting the urge to slit Cargo's throat. For one thing that short delay may result in Kaya's death and secondly she didn't want to go near him out of fear that he may awaken, (assuming he really was asleep to begin with).

What she saw inside the hut made her want to vomit. It had been obvious that they were drowning someone, specifically Kaya, but she hadn't quite worked out how. To kill someone in this way was inhumane. San pulled herself up onto the platform surrounding the bath, and her eyes widened. 'Shit!' she thought when she saw Kaya was completely covered by water. Only the red part of her hat remained dry. The princess of the forest quickly drew her sword.

* * *

'I guess this is it, this is how I'm going to die,' were the words going through Kaya's mind as almost all of her remaining air slipped passed her lips. Then suddenly she felt the tension in one of the ropes that bound her relax. She looked to find that it had been cut, and a moment later the same thing happened to the other. 'I knew she'd save me,' thought a relieved Kaya, as she used the last of her oxygen to kick off the floor, pull the top half of her body onto the platform and immediately gasp for breath.

"San?" she said, looking up and waited for her vision to clear. "I owe you my life," She smiled when she saw it was her friend.

"I think we can call it even," San hissed. "Now quickly, we need to get out of here before…" She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of something. Kaya slowly turned her head to see what it was. It came as no surprise to find Cargo smirking at them by the door way. Who else could startle the Princess Mononoke like that?

Cargo chuckled at the sight of the frightened San, and Kaya turning as pale as she had earlier when she'd looked into his eyes. "I could kill you both easily. So…" he began and turned away, "I'm not going to."

This statement almost caused San to laugh. "What?" she exclaimed.

"Killing is no fun if it's quick and easy, so I think I'll toy with you for a bit longer," Cargo replied. "Now go, and don't try anything. I swear if I see you anywhere near Cress or Lord Asano's sleeping quarters I will end both your lives." He then turned and marched out of the hut.

San hopped down to the ground and made her way to the door, but then turned back when she noticed Kaya wasn't following; it appeared she was still trembling with fright. "Kaya?" she called.

"Huh?" Kaya snapped back to reality and instantly regained her composure. "Oh, sorry," she muttered, before climbing out of the bath and joining San.

After that the two girls made their way back over the walls of Iron Town and ran the entire way back to the den. Both ignored the screams of protest from their muscles, they just wanted to get as far away from that monster of a man, and return to the safety of their home.

However, Kaya got one last surprise that night. For when they finally arrived back at the cave, they found Ashitaka waiting for them. Judging by how he had his weapons, he was about to go and look for them. "Where the hell have you been," he shouted. Kaya opened her mouth to reply but at last her strength failed her, and instead she fainted.

San grabbed her, and Ashitaka ran over and carried the Emishi princess into the den. "Why is she soaking wet?" he asked, looking at San.

"Well, er… we went to Iron Town and Cargo, sort of, tried to drown her." San answered, expecting Ashitaka to be horrified, and she was right.

"What!"

"But I saved her, now wait outside. I need to get your sister into some dry clothes."

Ashitaka nodded and left the cave, giving him time alone with his thoughts.

It had been such a shock when he awoke to find them both missing. San and Kaya were the two most important people to him in the world; he couldn't imagine the pain he would feel if one of them died. He had already been forced to part ways with his sister thinking he would never see her again. And San was the girl he loved, he didn't know what he would do if he lost her.

When San called to say she was finished he re-entered the den with a determined look on his face. Now it was time for San's final surprise of the night. Ashitaka walked over to his love and slipped his arms around her waist. "Ashitaka, what are you…" San began, but was cut off by his lips against hers. Her eyes widened for a moment, before she melted into the kiss, and put her arms around his neck. They had kissed before, but never this passionately or for this long. It was passionate, but at the same time sweet and gentle.

Ashitaka pushed on San's back so her body was pressed against his and deepened the kiss. It was bliss for both of them, and at that time all the problems and troubles that had haunted them for the past few weeks were forgotten. All that mattered was that they were together and safe.

It was lucky, or possible in Ashitaka and San's opinion unlucky, that Kaya was there, else it might have been difficult for them not to give into their urges.

They finally broke apart, panting. "I love you San," whispered Ashitaka.

"I love you too, Ashitaka." They both knew how the other felt, but this was the first time either had actually said it in those words. And it caused so much joy for both of them to hear the other say those three magical words.

Blushing San asked, "Why did you kiss me like that?"

"I wanted to thank you for saving my sister," smiled Ashitaka, stroking her cheek.

"Oh you didn't need to thank me for that," San smiled back. "But I'm glad you did."

Unbeknown to them, Kaya was watching through one very slightly open eye. 'Aw, young love.' She thought as she drifted off to sleep.

To Be Continued…


	9. Chapter 9: A Plan and a Disagreement

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 9: A Plan and a Disagreement

"What do you mean she escaped," roared Lord Asano.

"What do you _think_ I mean?" replied Cargo, in his usual calm tone. "The statement is fairly self-explanatory. I must have just dozed off while guarding her."

With a grunt of irritation Cress joined the argument. "Come on Cargo, we all know that no one can escape from you unless you allow it. So therefore you must have _let_ her get away."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Cargo retorted with a shrug. "But I think that one little girl getting away should be the least of your worries, especially with the upcoming battle tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Cress and Asano yelled in unison.

"How the hell do you know that," Asano demanded to know.

Cargo chuckled as he turned and walked towards the door and inhaled through his nostrils. "I can already smell death in the air. I can feel that there will be a lot of bloodshed by sunset tomorrow." He began to roar with laughter, "Soon. Soon the time will be right to summon the Clow cards!" he cackled, leaving the room a moment later.

Cress and Asano exchanged uneasy expressions. "I still think he's out of his mind. However, we should prepare my samurai for battle, just in case his prediction comes true," said Asano.

Cress nodded in agreement. 'And I should execute my plan,' he thought, but did not mention this to Asano.

* * *

It was the following day, and the sun shone brightly as Ashitaka, San and Kaya hastily made their way through the trees. They were meeting the others at the edge of the forest near Iron town. The three warriors moved quickly since they were behind schedule and the invasion was supposed to begin when they arrived.

Kaya had fully recovered from the events of two nights ago, although still grimaced whenever Cargo's name was mentioned. Ashitaka wondered how she could have been so shaken simply by being forced to look into Cargo's eyes. On the other hand, being tied up and knowing she was about to be drowned probably hadn't helped.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ashitaka saw San wince, and a second later realised why. A disgusting stench filled his nostrils; it was so foul he nearly started to gag.

"What is that awful smell," said Kaya, she too was clearly having trouble stopping herself vomiting.

"There's only one thing it could be," San replied, yet hoping that it might perhaps be something else. "It's coming from over here." Ashitaka and Kaya followed her into a nearby clearing. What they saw horrified all three of them.

Kaya quickly looked away, placing a hand over her mouth and nose. "I think I'm going to be sick," she choked, starting to gag immediately afterwards.

"Just as I thought," said San, with tears welling up in her eyes, "Rotting corpses."

In the clearing lay approximately 30 dead wolves. However, they had not just been killed; their stomachs had been cut open to allow the contents of the bodies to spill onto the ground, and it was the sight of this that was causing Kaya discomfort.

Ashitaka put his arms around San, as tears slowly trickled down her face at the sight of members of her clan killed in such a sadistic way. "How could that bear god do such a thing? Even if he has become a demon," She whispered.

"The demon didn't do this," Kaya proclaimed, as she examined one of the corpses, trying hard not to look at its guts.

"It must have been him; if a large amount of humans came this deep into the forest they would have been noticed, and there is no possible way one or two of them could have killed this many wolves without grenades," pointed out Ashitaka. He was seemingly correct, and given the state of the ground there hadn't been any grenades used.

Kaya shook her head. "No, look…" she swallowed before continuing, "look at the wounds. They are too smooth to be made by teeth. Whoever did this used a sword."

Releasing San from the embrace, Ashitaka walked over to Kaya and examined the wolf. His eyes widened when he saw she was right. "But who could have done this?"

Whilst desperately trying to ignore the churning sensation in her stomach, Kaya replied, "It must have been Cargo."

"But surely even he couldn't…"

"Brother," the young princess interrupted, "Name one other person who could, and would want to do this." She then gave into her stomach. Falling on her hands and knees she vomited.

"Are you alright?" Ashitaka asked in a concerned voice.

After losing most of the food she'd eaten that day, Kaya nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that," She answered, getting to her feet.

San came and stood next to the siblings, cursing Cargo under her breath. "That cold hearted bastard. What did these creatures ever do to him? I swear when I get my hands on him I'm going to…"

"Calm down my love," said Ashitaka, putting his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes. "I promise you we will make Cargo pay for his misdeeds, but getting angry won't help."

San felt herself relax as she returned Ashitaka's warm gaze. She smiled and nodded. He smiled back and kissed her forehead.

Kaya watched them patiently, and waited until they broke away from each other's gaze before saying anything. "I'll never know how people like Cargo came to exist," she sighed, walking over to a tree where several kodamas were perched. She extended her arm and allowed one of the tree spirits to jump onto her hand. "If only people could be more like them. They never feel…" she stopped, "hate." If light bulbs had existed back then, one would have appeared over Kaya's head. "Hey I've got an idea."

San and Ashitaka looked at each other. Neither could work out how the sentence 'they never feel hate' could give anyone an idea that would be of any use in this situation. Kaya, guessing what they were thinking, began to explain, "When I left my home to search for you brother, the village mage told me that if I found you, I could be of assistance. And to help I must 'see with eyes unclouded by hate.'"

"Really," exclaimed Ashitaka, "She used those words?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Kaya, a confused expression on her face.

"She told I had to do exactly that in order to get rid of my cure."

Kaya laughed. "Well I guess that shows how similar we are bro. We're even given the same advice." Ashitaka began to laugh with her, and San joined in a moment later.

"Anyway here's my plan." Kaya quickly explained her thoughts, while the other two listened intently. When she finished San looked doubtful.

"Well, it's a long shot but it might just work, provided we get rid of Asano, Cress and Cargo first," she said.

Kaya smiled happily, "And Oro and Oko could round up our little friends in no time."

"Sister, I want you to go with them," said Ashitaka firmly, causing her smile to vanish.

"What!"

* * *

"What do you mean he just left," Cargo spat at the samurai that guarded the gate that lead into Iron Town, who he was currently grasping tightly by the throat.

"I'm sorry sir. Cress came by a short while ago with two elite samurai and said he had orders from Lord Asano to go into the forest," wheezed the samurai, while he desperately tried to free himself from Cargo's grip.

"And you didn't think to question him," hissed Cargo, and began to choke the samurai.

"Please sir," he begged, "I wouldn't disobey Asano and I never thought Cress would…" but that was as far as he got. There was a cracking sound and the poor samurai went limp.

The ruthless Cargo let the body fall to the ground. "Cress is a traitor," muttered Asano. "Cargo I want you to…"

"Yes, yes, find and kill Cress, blah blah blah," he said in a mocking tone. "I'll deal with him after the battle. And don't worry my lord; he will suffer for his betrayal."

Lord Asano smiled and nodded, "See that he does."

* * *

Kaya stared at her brother, not believing what she had just heard. "You're not serious."

"Do I look like I'm kidding," he replied. San could tell by the way he spoke he had no intention of letting Kaya near the battle field. The Emishi princess argued nonetheless.

"But brother, I must be by your side," she yelled.

"Like San said, we will need to take out Cargo. There is little chance we will survive that. It's far too dangerous for you," Ashitaka insisted. It was obvious he just wanted his sister to be safe, but unfortunately Kaya continued to protest.

"Well if it dangerous that's all the more reason to have someone to help," said Kaya, who was starting to become upset.

"So you could die with us?" Ashitaka shot back.

"Yes," yelled Kaya, her eyes brimming with tears.

That reply clearly caused her brother irritation. "Do you have any idea the pain I'd feel if you died?"

"If I had to guess it would be the same pain I'd feel if _you_ died." She shouted, trying very hard not to let the tears fall from her eyes.

Ashitaka was beginning to find it difficult to keep his patience with her. He understood it wasn't what she wanted, but he was only trying to protect her. "Kaya, you're my little sister, so it's my job to keep you safe. I would never forgive myself if you were to get hurt."

"Ashitaka, I maybe your little sister, but I'm hardly _little_ anymore. I can take care of myself," Kaya argued. Ashitaka was about to respond but Kaya continued before he had the chance. "There's a reason I left my home and friends to come and search for you, even though I may never have found you. And it's because I chose to be with you over all else."

"And why is that?" asked Ashitaka calmly.

"Because you're my brother and I love you," Kaya yelled in a 'isn't it obvious' tone.

"If you love me, then please do as I ask and go with San's brother," he replied, knowing he had won.

Kaya couldn't take it anymore. She pulled off her straw hat and threw herself into his arms, finally letting the tears pour down her cheeks. "I hate you sometimes," she choked as she buried her face in his chest.

Ashitaka held Kaya until she stopped crying. San watched this quietly with a smile on her face. This was such a touching example of sibling love; both would die to protect the other.

Kaya pulled away from her brother's embrace, wiping her tear stained cheeks with the back of her hand. "So will you go with the wolves?" Ashitaka inquired.

"If that's what you really want," said Kaya sadly as she retrieved her hat. Then all of a sudden she tensed and began looking back and forth. "Something's heading this way," she announced.

San frowned, "If there was, I would be able to hear it."

Ashitaka, however, was aware Kaya was serious. He had only seen her like this a few times before, but he knew it could only mean trouble. "It's not what she's hearing, it's what she's sensing."

San looked at him, "Sensing?"

"My sister has a bit of a sixth sense. Back at our village she would always know when a storm was coming, and she was the first person to spot the boar demon when it attacked," this was said in a tone that showed he was proud of his little sister, "as I was the prince everyone thought Kaya would become the next mage."

When he had finished speaking Kaya spun one hundred and eighty degrees and pointed into the distance. "It's coming from over there."

"What is?" demanded San.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's definitely bad news," Kaya answered.

A second later there was a large crash and the creature came into view: huge, rapid and covered in black tentacle like worms.

It was the bear demon and it was charging straight for them.

To Be Continued…


	10. Chapter 10: A Shocking Revelation

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 10: A Shocking Revelation

At the edge of the forest near Iron Town the forces of the forest had gathered. Lady Eboshi, Gonza and the other Iron Town warriors were with them. Everything was ready for the invasion. Well, except for the absence of Ashitaka, San and Kaya. Eboshi, Oro and Oko waited impatiently for them to arrive. Glancing at how high in the sky the sun was getting, Eboshi said, "What could be taking them so long. It's not like Ashitaka to be late for something this important."

Nodding in agreement, Oko growled, "The only thing I can think of that would have delayed our sister this long is an attack by the demon bear." Oro glanced uneasily into the forest at the thought of San being killed by the demon.

The remark made Gonza scowl. "Just like a demon, we don't see it since the day it was created and then it attacks at the worst possible time."

At that moment the gates of Iron Town began to open and the samurai army started to emerge.

"We can't wait for them any longer; Asano knows we're here. The attack must begin _now_," ordered Eboshi. Oko nodded and barked orders at the other gods, while his brother walked back into the forest.

"Oko and I will go and look for San and the others. They could be in danger," growled Oro.

"Very well," began Eboshi, understanding their concern for their sister, "stay safe and try to get back as soon as possible."

The wolves nodded and then darted off into the trees.

* * *

Ashitaka, San and Kaya all stared in horror as the demon bear rapidly approached. Ashitaka and San moved in one direction, while Kaya, in an effort to confuse the beast, moved in the other. The bear, however, focused its attention on her, most likely because she was the one who blinded it in one eye.

The demon shot tentacles at her as soon as it reached the clearing. Kaya was unsurprised by this action. I mean, what else would a demon do when it tries to kill you? She drew her sword and cut through the black worms. Unfortunately this resulted in her not looking where she was going, and she collided with a tree. The princess let out a cry, and fell to the ground, clutching her right arm.

With Kaya down, the bear then turned its attention to San and Ashitaka. They looked at each other and nodded. The two moved in opposite directions, San drawing her sword and Ashitaka pulling out his bow and arrow. To his dismay, however, he saw that San's luck was no better than Kaya's. She tripped and went crashing into the dirt. Seizing the opportunity, the bear charged at San, baring its teeth. (Pun intended).

Instinctively, Ashitaka raised his bow. The only thing on his mind at that moment was protecting the girl he loved. He let the arrow fly, and thankfully, luck _was_ on his side. The arrow hit the demon square in its good eye. This resulted in it tumbling to the ground just before it reached where San lay.

The Emishi prince walked over to the demon, although he made sure not to get too close, and watched sadly as the once proud forest god slowly died. "Forgive me," he whispered to the creature. "I had to do what I did."

To his surprise the bear did not hiss insults and death threats as the boar demon had done. Instead it said, "Thank you. Thank you for setting me free." Before its flesh melted away leaving just the skeleton lying on the ground.

Ashitaka smiled, he hated killing, but was thankful that the creature was at peace. "Ashitaka," called a voice and he turned just in time to see San throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The prince's initial thought was to push her away and say that they did not have time for this. But just one second of her soft lips against his was all it took to push any trace of those ideas out of his head. Ashitaka wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.

Kaya watched them as she got to her feet, still holding the part of her arm just above her elbow. 'Remember to breathe you two,' she thought grinning. And with that she turned and ran into the forest.

About a minute later Ashitaka and San broke apart, panting. Almost instantly Ashitaka noticed his sister's absence. "Where did Kaya go?" he yelled, breaking the embrace.

With a smirk, San replied, "She probably went to Iron town to take on Cargo herself."

"No, I specifically told her not to."

San gave him a mischievous look. "Well she is your sister isn't she? Disobeying you should be her speciality."

"Not Kaya," Ashitaka insisted. "She's always been loyal to me." He then glanced at the sun, which was starting to get high in the sky. "It doesn't matter; we have to get to Iron Town _now_. We've been delayed enough as it is." San agreed and the two headed off to their destination at a fast pace.

* * *

After running for a short while, Kaya came into the clearing where the pool of the Forest Spirit resided. She had torn a small part of her cape off and used it to bandage her injured arm. The first thing she did when she emerged into the clearing was to cup her hand to her mouth and give a wolf like howl. San had shown her just the right pitch to use so Oro and Oko would know who was sending the message. She had practised until she had the sound exactly right.

Then Kaya walked over to the edge of the pool and raised her hands in the air. "Oh great Forest Spirit," she called, "I have been told that you have the power to give and take life. If this is true, I beg you, help me." Ashitaka and San had told her of the Forest Spirit and his death. However, like her brother and friend she hoped that he lived on in some form.

She stood very still, waiting for some kind, any kind of response. When Kaya got one, it certainly was not the one she was expecting. "Don't bother asking for his help, he died months ago," a stern voice hissed from behind her. She immediately spun around to see who had spoken. The person that stood there shocked her even more than the bear had, although she made sure not to show this.

"Cress!" she cried, "What are you doing here?"

Cress and two elite samurai cautiously came towards her, but kept their distance. "To kill the wolf girl, what else?" he replied. "But seeing as she's not here, I guess you'll do."

With her calm expression never faltering, Kaya responded with the words, "You're not going to kill me and we both know it."

Cress stared at her with his one eye, "What makes you say that?"

Folding her arms over her chest, Kaya said, "If you really wanted me to die, you wouldn't care what happened to me."

"Who says I do care?" Cress scoffed.

"You did, two days ago, when you didn't want Cargo to drown me."

Cress just continued to glare at her, whilst not saying a word.

"You were a good man Cress," Kaya began, after the silence became unbearable. "And I believe you still are."

"No!" Cress exploded, the statement had obviously touched a nerve. "That was the old, stupid Cress; who had fantasies of peace and justice. I now know that those things are a fool's dream." The elite samurai looked uneasily at each other. Cress was always cold and solemn, but they had never seen him erupted in this way.

"I understand that losing your parents and sister must have been difficult, but…" Kaya was cut off before she could finish.

"You think that's what this is about. No, it's about the fourth person that died that day," Cress ranted.

'I knew it,' thought Kaya. "Well then, perhaps you could enlighten me on who they were." In truth she had already worked it out, but if she was correct, the suffering Cress must have gone through was too much to think about. So she hoped, prayed there was some other explanation.

"Well I am sure Eboshi told you that my family and I left Iron Town because of the war, well, that wasn't true," he took a deep breath. "The reality is, my wife died and I just couldn't bear to remain in Iron Town, with so many things that reminded me of her."

"No." whispered Kaya under her breath, her eyes watering. The revelation that he had had a lover practically confirmed her theory. She watched in awe as tears began to pour from Cress's one good eye.

"My wife died during child birth," he chocked. "So just a few days after I lost the girl I loved, I lost the rest of my family, including my daughter, my _five day_ old daughter. All because of that dratted wolf girl!"

"No!" Kaya cried, "I know San, she wouldn't kill a baby."

Cress gave her a deathly glare. "She was killed with a dagger, so it must have been Mononoke. I assure you, when my daughter was killed, the old Cress died with her."

Kaya raised her arms so her hands were in line with her shoulders. "Then prove it by killing me."

"With pleasure," Cress yelled, but he sounded uncertain. "Defend yourself." he ordered.

The princess shook her head. "No, if you are truly evil you should have no problem killing a defenceless girl."

Cursing under his breath, Cress turned and ran to the edge of the clearing. He paused for one moment to yell, "Kill her and then return to Iron town," at the samurai.

Kaya watched as the blue haired boy disappeared into the trees. His actions removed any doubt about her suspicion that there was still good in him. If he had really wanted her dead, he would have taken care of it himself. The brown haired girl drew her sword as the elite samurai approached.

"Oh what's this?" laughed one of them, "a little girl with a sword."

"Oh what's this? Two elite samurai, I'm _so_ scared." Kaya sniggered sarcastically.

The samurai glared at her. "Now you've done it." They both yelled.

"Oh, I'm about to," she smirked. Putting her thumb and index finger into her mouth, she whistled. A spilt second later Oro and Oko sprang into view and pounced on the samurai, sinking their teeth into them. The men were almost definitely dead before they even knew what was happening.

The arrival of the wolves had been observed by Kaya towards the end of her conversation with Cress, but had gone unnoticed by the others, which turned out to be rather unfortunate for the elites. "Thank you for your assistance," said Kaya, bowing to the gods.

"Don't mention it," replied Oko. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I have an idea that might allow us to defeat Asano that involves rounding up a lot of Kodama," she explained, glancing at the large amount of tree spirits that were crowding on the nearby branches. "And I figured this would be a good place to start." It was only a partial lie; she did think that the pool of the Forest Spirit would have the largest density of Kodama. In reality though, her real reason for coming here was much bigger than that.

* * *

Lord Asano watched from the lookout area above the wooden gate, as the battle between his samurai and the residents of the forest continued. So far neither side had given an inch. In terms of numbers, both sides were equal, but his army had rifles at their disposal, so he very much doubted that the stalemate would go on for much longer.

"I have to admire the enemy's ability to hold their own when we have much superior weapons." Asano looked over his shoulder to see Cargo, along with ten samurai, standing behind him.

"Cargo? Why aren't you out there with my men," Asano questioned, obviously irritated.

"They will most likely try and have you assassinated. So I thought it would be best if I stayed here. It will allow me to take care of you." Cargo replied, making sure to hide the true meaning of his words.

"Very well," said Asano, turning back to the battle. Cargo smirked; everything was going as he planned.

To Be Continued…


	11. Chapter 11: Betrayal

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 11: Betrayal

"Alright," Ashitaka called to San, as he fended off two elite samurai at once, "I think we've given my sister and your brothers enough time." San nodded in agreement as she cut down a third samurai. Then she darted over to Ashitaka, and together they effortlessly defeated the elites, who just moments before believed they had the upper hand, but were in fact no match for the Emishi prince once he had assistance from the princess of the forest.

The two had arrived on the battle field a while ago. It hadn't been difficult to deduce that Kaya wasn't here; I mean you could spot the red part of her hat a mile away. So they had decided to help the army of the forest before making their move against Cargo, Cress and Asano, in order to allow plenty of time for Kaya to make preparations for her plan. Now they made their way towards the gate of Iron Town, killing samurai as they moved. Both knew what needed to be done for the plan to work; it was just a matter of whether or not they could pull it off.

* * *

"My Lord," said Cargo, as he leaned over the side of the lookout post, "It seems that girl Cress was so interested in killing, as well as her lover are heading this way."

Lord Asano frowned as he looked where Cargo was pointing, and sure enough it was definitely Princess Mononoke, it was impossible to mistake the outfit and wolf fur she wore. "Strange," he muttered under his breath, "I was certain Cress had gone to kill them himself." But then he laughed, "Oh well, all the more fun for us."

Cargo nodded as he made his way over to the ladder that led back down to ground level. "Yes, I can finally kill the one I've been waiting to kill."

Asano smiled, "And I will enjoy watching every moment of that." The statement made Cargo very, very tempted to chuckle, but that would not do at all. He had already given Asano a large hint to what his _true_ intentions were. Another hint could give the game away, and Cargo wasn't one to take risks. If Asano had been paying proper attention to what Cargo had just said, he would have noticed that Cargo referenced killing the _one_ he had been waiting to kill, even though he was seemingly referring to killing two people. This should have told Asano that Cargo was in fact talking about killing someone else altogether. But Asano was so overconfident that thoughts of defeat were nowhere in his mind. He was oblivious to the treachery that was about to come. "Open the gate immediately," the ignorant Lord yelled to his men.

* * *

As they neared the gate, Ashitaka and San saw it begin to open. It was a relief to see this occurring as neither of them really liked the idea of having to climb the walls of Iron Town with the samurai shooting bullets at them. They had been relying on Cargo wishing for a directed confrontation and Asano wanting to see them die up close. When the two reach the entrance to Iron Town they saw Cargo and Asano with ten elite samurai standing behind them. Both had expressions that made them look like they were untouchable. The prince and princess wondered what had happened to Cress.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to show up," sniggered Cargo, "I really thought my message had been enough to intimidate you into not coming."

The two humans who stood before him looked at each other. "What message?" Ashitaka asked in confusion.

"Did you not see the thirty corpses I left in the forest?" Cargo asked with a sickening grin on his face. He knew they had. He deliberately committed the murders in a place he was sure Ashitaka, San and Kaya would venture on their way to Iron Town.

The rage that boiled in Ashitaka and San upon hearing those words was unmeasurable. "You killed thirty wolves just to send us a warning. Why would you do something like that," Yelled Ashitaka. He was a very merciful man, but had little patience for evil men like Cargo.

"Because I can," Cargo cackled. He truly was insane.

"You sick bastard!" yelled Ashitaka. San was so full of rage at what the assassin had done to members of her clan that she was shaking with fury. So angry that she was unable to find words to describe what she was feeling.

"That's quite enough talk…" Asano began, but was cut off by Cargo in mid-sentence.

"What's wrong Ashitaka, are you mad that you weren't able to stop me?" Cargo taunted, further fuelling the boy's anger. "How many lives could have been saved, how many deaths could have been avoided if you possessed the strength to kill me the day we met."

"Shut up, you fucking bastard!" Ashitaka spat out the insult like it was venom. The rage he felt was as strong as the rage the curse that once scarred his arm had given him. But that rage had been fuelled by the curse, this time it was purely brought on by his hatred for Cargo. For the first time in his life he actually despised someone.

"Yes," agreed Lord Asano, somewhat irritated at being interrupted, "I order you to kill them now! Kill the one you've been waiting to kill." It was then Asano noticed that Cargo had not spoken in plural, but he realised this a little too late.

"As you wish, my _former_ master," said Cargo in a sly voice. He then drew his sword and, to the surprise of Ashitaka and San, did not lunge for them. Instead he used the blade to pierce Lord Asano's heart. "I've been waiting to do that ever since we came to Iron Town, my lord," the last two words were said in a mocking tone.

The elite samurai stared in disbelief as their leader crumpled to the ground. "See you in hell," snarled Cargo and with one final swish of his blade, ended the evil tyrant's reign once and for all.

Open mouthed, Ashitaka watched all this, anger replaced by shock. Cargo had one last thing to say to him, "I will deal with you two and that little princess later." When this had been said he turned and ran off into the battle. He darted to the other side of the battle field, cutting through humans and gods that got in his way. At that point he disappeared into the forest.

It took about a full minute for the spectators of what had just happened to recover, it all happened so fast they needed time for it to sink in. At last one of the elites spoke, "So, if Lord Asano's dead, and Cress and Cargo are traitors. Who's in charge?"

Murmurs of "it isn't me" and "it's not me either" could be heard between them, until someone from the lookout post called, "It doesn't matter, you're all finished anyway."

Ashitaka looked up to see who had spoken even though he already knew; he'd recognise that voice anywhere. "Kaya, what are you doing here?"

Leaning on the top of the wall, Kaya smiled and replied, "I went with the wolves like you said, and when we'd gathered our friends I came to the battle as quick as I could."

Glaring up at his sister playfully, Ashitaka called, "You know full well that I wanted you to stay away from this place until the battle was over."

"Oh, you did," Kaya replied innocently, raising her hands. "I swear bro, if I knew that's what you meant, I would have obeyed." She tried to make it sound honest, but her brother could easily see through her mask of innocence. "Like I said, it doesn't matter, I brought the reinforcements."

"You're bluffing," one of the elites yelled.

"Is that so," Kaya smirked, and extended her arm. A single kodama materialised on her outstretched hand. "Now do you believe?"

At that moment kodama began to appear across the entire battle field. This caused the fighting to instantly come to an end, as the people of Iron Town, the samurai and gods alike marvelled as thousands of the trees spirits surrounded them.

"Wh-What are they?" a cowardly elite stuttered.

"Tree demons," answered San trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"They're harmless to protectors of the forest like us. However, they don't take kindly to those who attempt to destroy it," added Ashitaka. He smiled when he saw the terrified expressions forming on the samurai's faces. The word 'demon' was all it took to send a shiver down their spines.

Kaya let the kodama she held fall onto one of the elites and he instantly vanished. In reality he had been teleported to the edge of the forest, where Oro and Oko dealt with him, but to the other samurai it looked like he had simply disappeared. After that, almost in unison, the samurai army turned and fled.

Ashitaka looked at San, whose lips were trembling, and then at Kaya, and he saw she had a hand over her mouth. When the elites were absolutely out of ear shot, our three heroes finally gave in, and burst out laughing. "I honestly didn't expect that to work," spluttered Kaya as she walked away from the side of the lookout.

"Oh no," San joked, "Ashitaka, save me from the harmless tree spirits that can't hurt me." This made Ashitaka laugh even more.

"Kaya, you're a genius," he chuckled.

"I know," she giggled, tossing her hat aside and running though the entrance into the waiting arms of her big brother. "Oh, thank the gods you're safe," she whispered, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "I was so afraid that by the time I got here it would be too late."

Ashitaka smiled as he held her close. "Calm yourself," he said quietly, "I'm fine."

* * *

Deep in the forest the prince and two princesses watched over the injured humans and animals that rested in the pool of the Forest Spirit. With the battle won, Oro and Oko had carried some of the badly wounded casualties here, so the healing powers of the water could work its magic on them. The five stood nearby, discussing what their next move should be to capture/kill Cargo. Ashitaka, San and Kaya sipped wine in celebration of their victory. Not one of them aware of the hidden danger. Even the wolves had failed to notice the scent of the intruder due to the presence of the other humans.

Concealed by the leaves of the tree he stood on, Cress slowly took aim with his bow, determined to claim his revenge. He aimed not for the girl that had killed his daughter, but the young man that stood next to her. She had taken away the most precious person in his life, now he would do the same to her.

Or at least he planned to. Try as he might, he found that he just could not release the arrow. 'Why can't I kill him?' he screamed inside his head. To his surprise he received an answer.

"Because you're not a murderer." every muscle in his body froze. The voice seemed to have been inside his head. He knew that voice, but it couldn't be…

'Who's there?'

"It's me, Katara," the voice replied.

'My love, but how, you're… you're...'

"I'm in the spirit world; the Forest Spirit is giving me the ability to communicate with you."

'The Forest Spirit died.'

"Yes, but he lives on in the afterlife," there was a short pause before the voice of Cress's dead wife continued, "I have been watching over you ever since I died."

Tears began to form in Cress's eye. 'So you've seen everything that I've done.' He thought shamefully.

"Yes," the voice whispered sadly.

'My dear Katara, can you ever forgive me?' a single tear ran down his cheek.

"Of course," she whispered in a soothing tone, "I told you that I will always love you. But there is something you must know. I wanted to tell you this ever since our daughter joined me in this world, but the Forest Spirit wouldn't allow me to contact you until Asano was defeated."

'What is it,' Cress asked, suddenly remembering that his arrow was still aimed at Ashitaka's head.

"It wasn't San that murdered our daughter."

"What?" breathed Cress in shock. And at last the anger and hatred that had clouded Cress's mind for so long was finally lifted.

To Be Continued…


	12. Chapter 12: The End of an Adventure

Princess Mononoke

Chapter 12: The End of an Adventure

Cress still had his arrow aimed right at Ashitaka's head, but he no longer wished to fire it. "All this time…" he breathed, "All this time I've hated San for a crime she didn't even commit." Even before this day he was never sure if revenge was what he wanted. Now more than ever, his conscience ached. Finally he saw what he'd done through the eyes of a good man, instead of one whose eyes were clouded by hate. He had become what he'd always despised. "Please Katara," he whispered, "Tell me who really caused my daughter to suffer."

"It was…" but before she could speak the name, the connection with her husband was severed, due to a piercing pain through his gut.

The cry that rang out through the clearing was enough to attract the attention of the three humans and two wolves that stood nearby. The five turned to see figures through the branches of the trees, as Cress's arrow narrowly missed Ashitaka's head. The colour of their hair made them easy to recognise.

"No one may kill them but me," laughed Cargo, who, if you didn't guess, was responsible for the agonising pain Cress was in. The blue haired boy glanced down to see Cargo's blade sticking right through his stomach. "You should have fled while you had the chance."

"You… Bastard," Cress managed to wheeze. Cargo just smirked in response. Then he pulled his sword free and watched Cress tumble to the ground.

"Your mistake was to come to _me_ for help. If you knew what I'd done in the past, you wouldn't have considered asking me for _anything_." Cargo mocked the young man that lay dying in a pool of his own blood. His attention then turned to those watching close by.

The smirk on his face grew when he saw how terrified they all were. Four out of the five hid their fear quite well, but he could see it in their eyes. Trying to hide something from him was pointless. After hearing what he had done to so many members of their clan, even Oro and Oko were faced with the truth that they were no match for Cargo. Kaya, however, either did not or could not conceal how scared she was. Her face was as pale as it was the night he came close to drowning her. Although what Cargo said next, none of them expected.

"Don't worry," he said in his usual sickening tone, "I'm not going to kill you."

"Wh… What?" Ashitaka breathed. At Iron Town, Cargo had said he would kill them 'later'. He assumed that this was 'later'.

"Killing you now would be easy and unnecessary" Cargo explained, "You are nothing but insects to me. I can crush you at any time." He raised his index finger. "One month." he continued, "That's how long before I return."

The green haired boy turned his back on them, but looked over his shoulder one last time. "I will return with an ally whose powers rival my own, and you will fall by the ultimate might of the Clow Cards." With this said, he darted away, jumping from branch to branch, until he disappeared into the trees.

Ashitaka relaxed as he saw Cargo vanish into the distance. 'That was too close for comfort,' he thought to himself. 'Thank the gods he wished to keep us alive, or we'd be goners.' He knew even all five of them combined would be no match for Cargo after the discovery that he could take down thirty wolves without gaining a single visible injury.

His thoughts were brought back to reality by a soft giggle. He turned to see San slowly creeping up on Kaya, who was still paralysed with fear. San walked up to the scared girl and snapped her fingers right in front of Kaya's face.

"Hey," Kaya yelled, jumping backwards, "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Laughing San replied, "Sorry Kaya, I couldn't resist."

Kaya glared back, "Why I ought to…"

"Alright," interrupted Ashitaka before another argument ensued. "If you two could just _not_ get on each other's nerves for one moment, we need to decide what we're going to do with him." He said, jerking his head towards Cress, who had managed to push himself into a sitting position against a tree and seemed to trying to retrieve something from his blue cape.

"We execute him," barked Oro.

"My brother and I can eat him here and now" growled Oko.

"Now, now, I don't think that's necessary," said Ashitaka quickly, "Enough people have died today."

"Yes, all because of him," roared Oro.

"It's thanks to him that Cargo came here and killed all those members of our clan," Oko pointed out. "Let us take revenge."

"No, you can't harm him."

"What?" said Oro, after a short pause. Even Ashitaka could hardly believe it was San who had spoken.

"You're talking about revenge. Doesn't that sound a lot like what Cress wanted?" San replied. "We're the ones who made him the way he is when we killed his family. To take revenge now would make us no better than him."

Ashitaka and Kaya smiled. "We can take him to Iron Town and he can stand trial for what he's done," suggested the Emishi prince.

The statement made Cress laugh, but it sounded more like a cough. "And if you did, what do you think they'd do to me," he asked weakly. "Kill me or lock me away until I'm dead." Another cough like laugh escaped his lips. "I have no interest in that, seeing as how I have nothing left to live for. But I am glad to see that you now realise that death isn't always the answer," his eyes resting on San, who looked at the ground shamefully, the memory of when she attacked Cress and his family coming back to haunt her. "However, on this occasion, it is." He finished, pulling a dagger from a secret pocket in his cape and plunged it right into his own throat. The blue haired boy writhed for a few seconds before going limp.

A long, awkward pause followed, even the wolves somewhat disturbed by what had just happened. A smile spread across Kaya's face as she recovered. "At least now he's finally at peace," she said quietly.

Ashitaka looked at her, and then smiled as well. "Yes," he agreed. "He said he had nothing left. I'm sure he'll be much happier with his family in the afterlife than he ever would be here." He looked over at San, who nodded.

"I say you should always look on the bright side of life," smiled Kaya. Now why does that sound familiar? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath though her nose. "I sense a lot of romance in our upcoming adventures."

"Oh, really," grinned San mischievously, "is it your romance?"

"What?" yelled Kaya, her face turning a deep shade of red. "No, I think its two people we haven't met yet."

"I don't believe you," San smirk, putting an arm around Kaya's neck and pulling off her hat.

"My hat!" yelled Kaya, desperately trying to grab the hat, but San held it out of reach.

"Tell me who you're in love with."

"I told you, I'm not in love! Now give me my hat back," Kaya whaled. She jumped slightly, but I made no difference. San was too tall and had an arm around her neck. "Gimme."

Ashitaka and the wolves laughed as they watch Kaya and San childishly squabble over a straw hat.

* * *

That night a feast was held in the centre of Iron Town to celebrate their victory over Lord Asano. San was sitting on a cushion by her and Ashitaka's table, with her arms folded and glaring at the food in front of her.

"Just have one mouthful," said Ashitaka, who was sitting next to her. "I promise it tastes good."

San glared at him playfully, "That's what you said the last time you made me try the human's food, and that tasted awful."

"Well, this time it's different."

"I'm sure the food is differently awful," replied San, and stuck her tongue out like a five year old.

The remark made Ashitaka scowl. It had taken a lot of effort for him and Kaya to persuade San to come to Iron Town, and what was the point if she didn't at least eat _something_. He was about to continue arguing when Kaya jogged up to the table, and placed a steaming bowl of ramen in front of San.

"Try this" grinned Kaya, "I assure you, you'll like it."

San just threw the ramen a disgusted look. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "but there is absolutely no way this soup is going to taste good."

Kaya glared at her, "I made that," she said with mock anger.

San's cheeks went very slightly pink. "Oh, in that case I'm sure it will be delicious." She picked up the wooden spoon and, very reluctantly, took a mouthful of the ramen. She gave a rather patronizing, "mmm mmm mmm", but after a moment her expression changed to one of surprise and immediately took a second mouthful, which made Ashitaka chuckle and Kaya grin.

"Well?" Kaya asked, eagerly.

"It tastes divine." San answered before she could stop herself.

Kaya stuck her tongue out, "Oh ye of little faith, I knew you'd love it."

"Whatever," replied San, and stuffed some noodles into her mouth.

"San, I've been wondering if you knew anything about those Clow Cards Cargo mentioned," said Ashitaka, deciding to change the subject before San became too annoyed.

"There's really nothing to tell, their just part of a fairy tale" San replied dismissively.

"Then tell us the fairy tale," he replied.

So she did. San explained it was 'prophesied' that powerful creatures, that were the Clow Cards, would threaten the world and two humans, named 'Cardcaptors', would gain control of them. She added that the reason she thought it was a fairy tale was because the story ended with the Cardcaptors becoming lovers, which, in her opinion, made it too sappy to be real.

Kaya, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. Earlier by the pool of the forest spirit she had sensed that they would meet two new friends very soon, and possible romance between them. 'Could they be the Cardcaptors,' thought Kaya. She quickly pushed the idea out of her mind and decided to enjoy the celebration.

Ashitaka noticed a number of people beginning to dance as musicians began to play music and he got to his feet. "Would you care to dance San?" smiled Ashitaka.

San allowed herself to be tempted for a moment, but then shook her head, "I don't know how to dance."

"I could teach you," Ashitaka suggested, but San shook her head again. He could tell there was no point in arguing, she seemed to be enjoying the ramen too much.

Kaya extended her hand to her brother. "In that case, would you like to dance with me bro?" she asked, smiling.

Ashitaka smiled back, "It would be my pleasure," he answered, taking her hands in his.

"The pleasures all mine," giggled his sister.

It was rather humorous. Less than one month ago, Ashitaka and Kaya doubted they would ever see each other again. And now, here they were, joking and laughing together, just like old times back at their village.

The siblings had left everything else behind the day they departed from their former home. But it didn't bother them now; they were both happy just to have the other by their side. The two had a new home and new friends, and Ashitaka had fallen in love with the princess of the forest.

There were still tough times ahead of course. As he promised, Cargo would return in one month, there was going to be a hard battle to defeat him and his 'ally'. The adventures our three heroes would have with Syaoran and Sakura were all a mystery. For now though, they enjoyed themselves at the celebration. The events of Cargo's return are a story for another day.

The End… At Least For Now.


End file.
